


Two Moons: Reconcilliation

by Danowsawa



Series: Two Moons [2]
Category: Warcraft - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Drama, F/M, Family, Gen, Heartache, Original Character(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-01 22:23:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 82,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11495946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danowsawa/pseuds/Danowsawa
Summary: Gone his whole life without a home, Colin finds it in the arms of his beloved, Kyra. However, when the two are pulled apart by honor and destiny, and a rouge druid named Ascal, will they fight by each others' side? or will the Dragon Aspects, and Kyra's own family, prove too strong a rift to bridge?





	1. Chapter 1

Stormwind often was bustling too much for its own good. It's massive and gorgeous façade was only masking the decaying state of its streets or, as far as Colin Dumerval was concerned, its people. Growing up in Theramore, Colin was used to sizeable enough cities, but Stormwind was a far greater beast.

It was the kind of place that has little soil, so the only plants that grow are the ones that start growing from there, and there's little to no room for transplants. By the time he had arrived, he was roughly a teenager, and too old for the orphanages, so he had to make due with the oddest of jobs in order to make it.

Even as he matured, he found himself in the same hovel within Old Town, probably due to his loyalty. His landlord, Mrs. Gribbs, had only this tiny home to her name, and the rent was all that kept her from poverty. Not that she was of poor character, like many of the district's inhabitants, though she did have a bad temper if caught on a bad day, of which there were many in her old age.

On this day, Colin stood over a long desk that sat against the wall, underneath the only window in the small home. He had rolled out a long banner, and had spent the better part of the weekend designing a advertisement for a winery in the trade district, complete with the flair that normally attracts intrigued passers-by.

He nodded as he examined the project, finding it to be complete and to his satisfaction. This had been one of those odd jobs that he would stumble across, and while it had been his practice to use this income to finance his travels, he hadn't done so in a year now, so he had accrued some savings, though he wasn't keeping in mind any large purchase.

In the last year he'd taken the tram to Ironforge a few times, but other than that, he would simply walk around this city, take in the busy sights of the docks, and simply just be. While he had many acquaintances, his life on the road prevented him from gaining many friends, so most days when he stayed in were spent drawing or helping Mrs. Gribbs with some menial task that included physical labor. She would offer a discount on the rent, though Colin remained paying the full amount.

One of the things that had changed since he had returned were his sketchbooks. or, rather, their contents were different. Upon returning, he found that he couldn't stop drawing one particular scene from his last adventure. One entire sketchbook, in fact, every last page was filled with the face of an orc, twisted in a deathly grimace. Every night, Colin would start a fire and rip out a page he had drawn earlier that day, and throw it into the flames, hoping this would eventually rid him of that memory.

While it remained, eventually he became able to draw other things once again. He would draw Kyra, Emawreth, Vylira, Tenarus, Tyriel; all people he had kept mental photographs of. Mostly they were pictures of Kyra, however. He missed her greatly, though for more reasons than the obvious.

Colin carefully rolled the banner up, tying a rope around its width, and slung it over his shoulder, quickly stepping out into the sunlight. He checked to see that Mrs. Gribbs was not outside, then made his way down the street, keeping his stare directed forward at all times.

He naturally had a sort of dismissive look on his face, and if you didn't know him, you would probably be inclined not to talk to him. However, he was known here. As he crossed one of the streets, he noticed a group of children, probably hanging around during a recess from school, and went on, though not without words being shouted out.

"Hey! It's the Zandalari man!" shouted one of the younger boys.

Joining in, another yelled, "Ha ha! Mr. Forsaken! Spends time with more walking bones than the dock ladies!"

Colin couldn't help but grin at the last one, though was confused by the references such a young child was making. This had been the treatment toward him for years, and even a few adults would join in, though not always from afar. One particularly nasty barkeep handed him a mug one time with an orc hand wrapped around it that made for the handle.

Although Colin traveled and spent time with pretty much any and all races and people, the time spent with Hordish tribes were particularly offensive to the people of Old Town whom had known this. One of the criers would actively announce Colin's return, coming up with whatever Horde tribe he could think of. Colin, however, had never exactly been on a higher tier here, so he didn't really bother with retorts. He simply spent more time at the libraries, or drawing in the park.

As he finally exited Old Town, he came across the bridge to the trade district, immediately coming into the view of a night elf woman who would be here every day, selling flowers. Colin had never delved too deep into her personal life, but they would always talk when he walked by, mostly about Kyra.

This was Lyera, the friend of Kyra's whom she had mentioned long ago. One of the first things Colin had dome when he had come back was find her, which wasn't too difficult. Most of the druids in Stormwind were druids, and far too preoccupied to be selling flowers. Plus, she would come to this spot every day, and there were only two exits Colin could take from Old Town.

"Ishnu alah," Colin nodded with a grin.

Lyera smiled happily, nodding in kind, "Ishnu dal dieb."

"Anything from Kyra?" Colin questioned, sitting down on the cement walls of the bridge.

She shook her head sadly, "Not today, no. The last I heard from her must have been a month ago or so. It's not like her to take so long to respond, but I suppose it would get busy over there."

Colin nodded again, the light of a smile fading from him, "I suppose. If you write her again, let me know. I've got something for her that will go along with the pressed flower you send every time."

"Absolutely," she smiled, radiantly, "By the way, may I ask a favor of you?"

"Of course," came his answer, along with a nod.

Lyera curled her lips as she raised her finger to them, in thought, or rather, in secrecy, "Would you mind checking the front gates after your errand? I believe my child lost his elekk toy there the other day, and with my flowers, I can't exactly leave them."

Colin stared at her skeptically, not believing the story for a minute, but playing along anyway, "Absolutely; I could use a stroll anyway."

Lyera enthusiastically squealed in excitement, though quickly composed herself with a cough, "Yes, thank you very much, Colin Dumerval."

Rather disarmed by her sudden formality, Colin still remained polite and nodded at her approval before making his leave. The whole thing seemed fishy, but the two had known each other; Colin was sure it was a trick, though nothing malicious.

He rushed off into the bustling trade district, diving into the crowd of people, careful to protect the rolled up banner strapped to his shoulder. He made it through slowly enough, and by the time he had made it to the winery, the owner had rushed out to greet him, happily.

Colin handed over the banner and pocketed his payment, sighing with relief at another job done. Whoever he completed a job, his thoughts immediately went to traveling again, but it wasn't time yet, he would always think. He continued his roundabout way of thinking as he made his way to the gates of the city, looking to figure out what all Lyera was about

It didn't take him long at all.

There, arms crossed, staring up toward the magnanimous statue dedicated to Alleria, stood the last person in all of Azeroth that Colin would have expected. Even after a year, Kyra Shadowmoon looked no different as her still eyes stared up at the stone monument. Colin had been held still by his surprise, but as he took another step forward, her ears perked and she turned to see him, the two meeting at their eyes.

"Colin," Kyra spoke, affirmatively, as the most natural of smiles popped onto her face.

Far more confronted with shock, Colin was much slower to the punch, but ultimately smiled as well, "Kyra."

The two approached other, coming together in a tight hug. It brought back a flurry of memories and feelings for Colin; some unwanted and others he had desperately missed. Having another person, in general, who had their arms wrapped around him was something he hadn't ever had here in Stormwind.

"Why are you here?" Colin finally asked, immediately seeking answers.

"Nice to see you too!" Kyra smirked as the two pulled away from one another, "But to answer your question, I'm just stopping by to see you. It's been a while."

Unable to turn away from a gift horse, Colin retorted quickly, "Stormwind is quite a ways away for a Silverwing to just be "stopping by", isn't it? Not to say I hate to see you here, but- Wait, you are a Silverwing, right?"

Kyra grinned as the mass of questions, and was happy to oblige, "Yes, I am a Silverwing. I actually serve under Vylira, turns out. She's gotten better at not treating me like a child, but there are still times. She'll put me first in the meal order and I respectfully wait to be last; you should have seen the look on her face the first time it happened!"

She began to laugh, and Colin was absolutely mesmerized by how much more animated she was, now, verses when they'd just met. She was so much brighter, yet it only contrasted so much with her darker complexion. As though he'd forgotten everything he'd learned a year ago, Colin unknowingly stared too long at her, which elicited a grin and a sharp reply.

"Do I have something on my face?"

Colin shook free and waved his hands in denial, "N-no, nothing like that. You just… I don't know; you've just changed so much."

The emergence of a frown forced Colin to continue, hurriedly, "I-In a good way! Change isn't always bad! You're just so much more expressive is all; it's nice."

In a second, Kyra grinned in knowing, which caused Colin to sigh, disappointed, "Played right into that one, huh?"

She nodded, though smiled as she reached over to hug him again, which he again reciprocated. She pulled away and stared around at the massive stone walls around her, in awe of their majesty.

"Well, I could show you around for once," Colin smiled, "Though if you're expecting some insights into most of the city, I'm afraid that a job for the tourism center; I mainly specialize in the small hovel I call a home in Old Town, and the park."

He shrugged, "We can't all have military escorts, eh?"

Kyra smiled, "Then we'll just go around together! I've never been to such a massive city before; at least not one so chaotic. Darnassus is very demure compared to here."

Colin nodded as the two began to walk, "Very true. Now keep an eye out for horses or carriages; most transportation here has no sanctity for the lives of any other creature."

"You do know who you're talking to, correct?"

"I don't question your ability," Colin grinned, "But the level of awe you may be experiencing."

The two made their way into the trade district, though Colin thought well enough to take some of the back roads. Kyra was shocked at the sheer number of bodies attempting to occupy a single space. Between the auction house and the bank, this crossroads upon entering the city was a madhouse on even the best of days.

The two emerged from an alley way onto the one of the canal paths, between the trade district and Old Town. As Kyra was mesmerized by how peaceful it now seemed in comparison to earlier, Colin carefully stood onto one of the barriers on either side of the bridges, taking a seat and dangling his legs off over the water. Kyra joined him, though she was busy staring up at the magnificent splendor of buildings off toward the cathedral ward, still showing through the smoke coming from the dwarves to its east.

"Not that I don't like it," Kyra began, "But I do certainly prefer home. Darnassus is so much more peaceful; how does anybody get by here?"

Colin chuckled, "I haven't quite figured that out myself, but I've gotten this far. I mostly do various jobs for people. That shop over there, I carried hides from the docks to the storefront. And over there, I tested enchants to see if they worked."

He shrugged, "I can definitely understand Darnassus' appeal, of course."

As the two sat there, the same group of kids from earlier rounded the corner, immediately noticing Colin, alongside another person, and instantly began snickering to themselves.

"Woah! Zandalari Man's got a new creep with 'em!"

One of the girls cackled, "I bet he's planning on some elf stew this weekend!"

Kyra shot a rather sinister stare at the kids, but Colin might as well have not heard them as he pointed off into the distance, "Oh, over there is where you can store anything in the void. I've never used it, but I know some people have lost quite a few important items to the Nether."

He turned to Kyra, who was still rather heated, "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright?!" she shouted, "Those kids just walked by and made fun of you!"

Colin nodded, knowingly, "Oh, that."

He shrugged, looking off across the canals, "Well, it's difficult to fit in here unless you kind of started here, at least in Old Town. So when I came here from Theramore, I was a bit too old to make friends. That's one reason why I started traveling, although that only escalated the teasing once they found out I had been "in bed" with some troll tribes or whatever."

Colin didn't seem to be at all bothered, or heated, by the story he told; only shrugging or grinning amusedly, "I mean, if they weren't making fun of me, they'd find somebody else. At least with me, I know I can bear it; that other person may not be able to."

Kyra's face turn from angry to rather sorrowful as she listened, though more that Colin seemed to be bearing the brunt of all this for more gallant of a reason that she'd expected. She thought, for only a second of course, that he might have just been far too oblivious to know.

"Besides, it's Old Town," Colin smirked, "They wouldn't know a moonkin from an owlkin if you had them take a two year course on the subject."

Kyra sighed, lowering her head, "You're so helpless."

Colin smiled as he turned to her, "Must be why I enjoy traveling so much, or at least being around other people. It hardly bothers me, though; I didn't even notice those kids talking!"

He could tell that she wasn't convinced, so he stood up, hoping to change the subject, "Hey, want to head on to my place? Do you need some rest? You didn't come by the docks, I suppose, so you came from Stranglethorn?"

Kyra nodded as she stood herself, following along as the two began walking, "Yes. I figured it would be a good chance to survey the Barrens on the way to Ratchet City. I was a bit upset that the Horde haven't been doing much in the way of advancing into Ashenvale, but Vylira said it would make for a good chance to get me here."

"Ah," Colin nodded, glibly, "So this was more so her doing. I suppose that makes sense."

"In a manner of speaking, yes, she sent me along, but please don't think I didn't want to come here," Kyra confirmed, "As much as people may think I want to spend the next few thousand years holed up in Ashenvale, you know, there are places I'd like to visit. If you've taught me anything, it's to keep connections close."

She pulled out her sword, and Colin quickly recognized it as the sword Ovuun had struck for her, "Your friend stopped by on his way out and offered to true it up for me. It's been surprisingly sturdy; he must have used some of that silverbark in it."

Kyra smirked, winking at Colin, "Plus it helped me win some respect the first few days I was a Sentry."

Colin shrugged, "I saw him in Ironforge and he didn't even mention that. Huh."

He thought for a moment, though it only opened up an innocent, yet serious, question from Kyra, "Why were you in Ironforge?"

To that, Colin gave a sharp pause, though he managed to continue walking, despite Kyra easily noticing something was odd about his reaction. He brought his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, as though in thought, and managed a response.

"Just to see an old friend," he muttered aloud, carefully.

Kyra eyed him skeptically, but as Colin kept walking on, he couldn't tell. He had thought the answer had sufficed, but with enough of a pause, he turned to her, knowing he had made a misstep.

"Oh, it's not a woman or anything," he explained, waving a hand, "I just needed help with some research. for one of my jobs around here."

Still recognizing the difficult stare, Colin went on, "It was just a tram ride away; it's not as though I moved mountains to get there, or jumped from one star to ano-"

He paused again, this time actually stopping in the middle of the old pathway. This entire time, it had felt like two best friends coming to meet one another again after so much time apart. Instantly, though, Colin came to remember everything that had sat deeper within those emotions. He immediately remembered the distant feeling of lips against his own, and his face nearly burned at the thought.

"Oh," he spoke up, shakily, "You were jea-"

Now interrupted, Kyra snapped back, "Don't even say it!"

He felt she was being rather brash, but as he peeked up at her, he could tell her face was blushing about as much as his was. Oddly enough, that fact calmed him somewhat, and he continued walking on, only through his ears knowing that Kyra was continuing along as well.

"So, uh, there's Mrs. Gribbs," Colin stammered as the two rounded a corner, "She's my landlady."

As though confused by the concept, Kyra stared at the old woman inquisitively as Mrs. Gribbs banged a small rug against the side of her house, which sat above Colin's hovel. Letting loose a few obscenities as she did so, Colin sighed as he approached her.

"Mrs. Gribbs, you can wash it off if you need to; this will never get all the dirt off."

The old woman paused what she was doing, staring at Colin, begrudgingly, "I bet you think ye' know how to run ev'rything, don'cha, boy?"

Sighing again, Colin gently took the rug, which the woman easily let go of, "I'll take it down to the lake and was it for you."

He seemed less than thrilled, but he also was quite used to this. Not that Mrs. Gribbs was a bad person; she just knew that Colin was quite the time to be used, which might explain why she had his rent so low so as to keep him there.

"And who's ye' friend?" she asked, suddenly putting on a friendly face as she noticed Kyra.

Colin turned and motioned toward his companion, "Oh, this is Kyra. I've already told her plenty about you."

Kyra stretched out her hand and Mrs. Gribbs took it, almost giggling like a schoolgirl as they shook hands, pulling away excitedly, "Oh, I've never touched a night elf before! Yer so warm!"

Kyra lowered her head, embarrassed, "Oh, uh, thank you, madam."

"Madam?!" Mrs. Gribbs cackled enjoyably, "Dear, leave that to th' higher folks. Speaking of, Colin, didja get yerself that invite to th' ball tonight?"

Colin nodded, pulling out a slip of paper from his robes, "Actually, yes. Not bad for a week's worth of work, if I may say so."

The elderly woman was still rather sort as she shot her arms at Colin's hand, though he was quicker to pull it into the air, "I beg your pardon."

Gribbs shot a stare that instantly became a large smile as she held her hands together, as if in prayer, "I-I… It's just, I figured that, ya know, since I'd been so good t' ya 'n all…"

Colin watched her pithily, shrugging as he returned the pamphlet to his pocket, "I'll see about it. I was hoping to trade it for some supplies after all."

"It.. It is the hottest ticket in town," Gribbs snickered, still wearing the smile of a hyena.

Colin began walking over toward the door to his hovel, with Kyra following behind, rather confused herself, leaving the old woman to drop her act behind them, staring coldly as they departed. She slowly limped up to her door, as if to inspire some sort of sympathy.

The door to Colin's home sat beneath the ground, as it led to, essentially, Mrs. Gribbs' basement. It had been renovated to include a bedroom and bathroom along with the living area, though it was still something of a lowly residence. Colin carefully entered the small abode and held the door open for Kyra, who had followed him in with a look of awe on her face.

"Sorry for the mess," Colin confessed, "I wasn't expecting company after all."

Sure enough, there were books, papers, and various assortments of tools and equipment from many different tasks Colin had done for work. He didn't exactly enjoy living in such a mess, but it had been a particularly busy week, and he sometimes one opened his door simply to toss in a shovel or tome when finished with one job and before heading to the next.

While it was nothing of importance to him, Kyra walked around in admiration, slowly stepping over whatever had been in her way, examining all that she could.

"I think it's wonderful," she opened as she looked out of the only window in the place; a small, wide pane that showed out just above the cobblestone street, "I've never had my own place. After living with so many siblings, I immediately went to living in barracks with so many others. This seems amazing. Cozy, even."

Colin shrugged, "I suppose. I mean, it allows me to get by, but I guess I'd prefer this over living with twenty other people."

He laughed as he cleared off the chairs that sat on either end of the table, "I always felt more comfortable living out in the world. Vylira mentioned Sentinels sleeping alongside their nightsabers; I kind of regret not getting the chance to do that myself."

Kyra took a seat as Colin had while he organized the piles of papers and books that sat upon his table, her eyes carefully watching his hands as they moved, "I wouldn't say it's much to write home about. Not that I don't love Eraenara, she's my faithful companion, but still, after a few hundred years of sleeping outdoors, you'd get sick of it too."

"If you say so," Colin grinned, "Sorry about Mrs. Gribbs by the way; she's… Well, she's one if a kind, let's say that. She's not always so, uh, 'forthcoming'."

"Yes, she seemed very interested in what you have there," Kyra noted, obviously curious of what it was.

Colin nodded, "Well, I spent a week in the basement of one of those taverns in the Mage Quarter, picking up demon runes. It wasn't so much tedious as it was dangerous; I mean, one mistake and I could have been teleported to Outland for all I know."

He unfolded the slip of paper he had pulled from his pocket, laying it on the table, "There's some big event in the castle to celebrate Anduin's birthday or something. I'm not entirely sure; I was planning to sell it under the table to someone, honestly. I'm not exactly one for big gatherings."

Kyra examined the invitation, surprised by how elegant it appeared, "Wow, and you actually get to meet the King?"

"And other dignitaries, yeah," Colin nodded, straightening up another stack of papers, "Anduin prefers to double such occasions as sort of memorials to his late father, so we'll usually get all sorts of envoys from everywhere. I believe one year, Thrall and Vol'jin both were in attendance, actually."

Kyra's eyes widened in surprise, not coming unglued from the paper. Colin continued organizing, but look up just long enough to notice her stare. Now his eyes were locked onto her face, his lips contorting in some neutral displeasure. Such an invitation would be worth enough gold to buy multiple houses, if sold to the right seller; though such a price tag may come with some jail time if sold to the wrong buyer. Colin had already had a buyer in mind that he'd known through a friend in one of the dwarven bars uptown.

Slyly, he spoke up again, "At the bottom there, it says it admits two."

Kyra's eyes immediately flickered up to meet his as he grinned gloomy, "I mean, I was just thinking of selling it. Seeing as how you're here, it's the least I can offer after not seeing each other for a year."

"Wait, seriously?!" she questioned, just now understanding what he was saying.

Colin shrugged, his grin becoming more bright, "Why not? Nobody here knows any better; we'll just say you're some Night Elf princess from Feralas or something."

Kyra blushed, but lowered her head to hide her disappointment, knowing Feralas elves were much more "loose" than she would ever have expected of herself, but knew Colin was unaware of this. She went down the paper again before laying it out on the table.

"You really don't mind?"

Shrugging again, Colin answered, "Hey, it means a lot to have beautiful women hanging from your arm. I may not enjoy gatherings, but I do like that."

He politely looked down at the table as he chuckled, not viewing the red-faced woman across from him, "It is tonight, though, so if you want to go, I guess we should at least get some things to be presentable."

He stood up and went toward the door as Kyra followed, "I know a good tailor who seems to know how to make anything, as long as you provide materials, of course."

Kyra nervously rubbed her arm, "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to go it alone and meet you there tonight…"

Colin watched her carefully, confused as to why she was so much more nervous and embarrassed than the last time the two had been together. He didn't want to pry too much, assuming she just wanted to make an appearance; he knew this may have been the first time she had attended any sort of function such as this.

"I guess," Colin nodded, "You can get around alright?"

Kyra smirked, "You do know who you're talking to, right?"

Colin grinned sarcastically as Kyra winked at him, "And yes, I'll watch for runaway carts, of course."

"Laugh now, Silverwing," Colin smiled amusedly, "Laugh now."


	2. Chapter 2

Night came rather quickly for Colin, if only because he had suddenly found himself busy with preparing for this event. Having talked a big enough game of being with Kyra, he understood that he had a responsibility to also be presentable, so he carefully assorted his own dress, settling for a classic tuxedo-looking suit that the aforementioned tailor had assembled. It had been preempted by a mad dash in the auction house for the few articles of cloth he needed, and besides suffering from a bruised shoulder after taking an elbow from some excited draenai, he had gotten out unscathed.

Now he only stood in front of Stormwind Keep, upon one of the many ramps that led up to the prestigious looking castle. While invitations were few, there were still plenty of people in attendance, and Colin was careful to examine each and every one of them, if only to pass the time.

He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, becoming a bit concerned. The event was to begin in a half hour and he still hadn't seen Kyra, though the two could have easily missed one another, he thought. He, himself, already looked much more regal, and though that she might easily overlook him due to how different he appeared. Kyra, also, might appear much different, especially considering how long she'd been away to prepare.

Colin had seen his fair share of night elves already passing by, their eyes waving in the air like lanterns as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. He was sure to not miss her within one of the groups of them, though it wasn't much longer before he noticed a new face approaching.

One pair of eyes seemed to shine far brighter than all the others, and Colin turned awestruck as he recognized the unmistakable features of his former companion. He saw purple hair trailing down both her shoulders, almost like a crescent moon that met atop an elegant bun of hair that had been collected and rolled above her. Her hands met each other in front of a deeply blue dress that was ornate without being too showy, though it hardly betrayed the shape of her body.

Colin stared at her, the pocket of air running up and down his throat seemingly going in time with each of her footsteps. As she noticed him, her face turned a shade of red that heavily contrasted with her skin and dress as she lowered it with an embarrassed smile. She didn't stop walking until she had met up with Colin, however, and once she had, she lifted her head to see an equally blushing Colin, whose face was far more surprised in comparison to her nervous smile.

"Wow," was all he could say, which was almost what she'd wanted to hear, causing her to grin mischievously as he couldn't pull his eyes away.

Though he was still reddened, Colin gathered enough nerve to speak up, "I wouldn't have expected a Silverwing to be so nervous."

She turned to him with a grin, "I could say the same for somebody who snuck atop one of the most guarded places in Azeroth."

"It was simply a warm up, I assure you," Colin winked as he presented his arm for Kyra to wrap her own around, which she did.

He turned and led her up the collection of ramps, far too nervous, still, to look in her direction. The air around them grew thin, though Colin just continued staring forward and trying to will his cheeks white again.

"So, what do I need to know about this?" Kyra asked, nervously.

"Well, humans are a lot different from night elves," he responded, "We don't have thousands of years to make statements, I guess; we have about a minute or two. In your case, it's all about the entrance, not that you have much to worry about."

She looked up at him questioningly, to which Colin cleared his throat, "You're already incredibly beautiful, after all."

The two shared ywt another blush as they approached the main hall, though Colin managed just enough of his senses to finish, "W-When we present our invitation, they'll ask for our names to be announced, in which case we'll be in the spotlight. Just smile and bow or something; it's really not anything to worry about."

Despite his reassuring words, Kyra's knees shook mightily, and her heart raced about as fast as it had done her first assignment. That had been to cull some grell on Telsrassil. She found it odd that this would have been the type of environment to force her nerves to tremble, though she soon began to wonder if it wasn't who she was with, rather than where she was.

Approaching the entryway, Colin pulled out the invitation and handed it to the courtier, who carefully examined the parchment, his eyes peeking over it without moving his head, skeptically. Colin remained neutral, even giving a sincere smile, and Kyra did much the same as the courtier's eyes moved toward her.

"Names?"

"Colin Dumerval, of Theramore," Colin answered with a slight nod.

"And you, madam?"

Kyra grinned slightly, "Princess Shadowmoon of Feathermoon."

The courtier stared at her for a few more moments, but ultimately acquiesced, turning to his side and reaching his arm out toward the major hallway, allowing the two to enter before following behind them.

Colin leaned over toward Kyra, smiling, "Way to fake it until you make it, my lady."

He returned to his former posture, leaving Kyra with a rather smile, saddened smile on her face. Before he could even notice, the two had made it to the main hall and the courier made his way around in front of them, clearing his throat politely.

"The court would like to introduce Colin Dumerval of Theramore, and Lady Shadowmoon of Feathermoon."

A few stares made their way toward the two, but as it had been later on during the occasions, the hall was mostly full and everybody was busy talking amongst themselves. Colin was sure to guide Kyra away from the entryway and turned to her as they stopped near one of the major columns.

"Well, princess, what did you have in mind of doing?" Colin inquired.

She peered up at him, "What do you normally do?"

"Like I said, this isn't my type of thing," he replied, scratching his neck, "Honestly, the only reason we're here is for you, so it's all up to you what we partake in."

Kyra looked around to examine the scene. Besides people standing around and conversing, she noticed that there wasn't much else going on. A tad disappointed, she frowned as she shrugged.

"To be honest, I thought there'd be more to this," she admitted, "Granted, I've never exactly been dressed up before, but beside that…"

Colin nodded as he began looking around, eyeing what appeared to be dancing in an adjacent room, "Would you like to dance?"

She grimaced, staring at Colin drolly, "I may be spry on my feet, but I've never claimed to be graceful. Have you danced before?"

Mashing his lips together in silent embarrassment, Colin slowly answered, "Well, twice before. When my cousin and I got into a fight as kids, my parents had us dance at the festival as a sort of punishment."

He sifted his eyes away as he continued, "I also partook in the ceremonial 'Give Mo' Mojo' dance once. That may not fly here, nor would I know how to do it without instruction…"

He shook his head as though fighting off a bad memory and then returned his eyes to Kyra's, "But it's crowded enough. It's not like anybody will notice if we're terrible."

Kyra grinned and shrugged, holding her hand up for Colin to take, "Well, if you put it like that, you may have the honor."

Colin smiled wryly as he took her hand, lifting it up for him to kiss before pulling her to his side and guiding her toward the other room. The hall was certainly crowded, and when met with tight spaces, Colin would pull Kyra in front of him, wrapping his other arm around her to keep her close while his other hand remained with hers.

As her heart began to beat quicker and quicker, the two made it to the dance hall where, sure enough, quite a number of couples were twirling around or partaking in less graceful affairs. The band sat atop a small platform in the corner of the room, 'Gnomeward Bound', and they were playing a rhythmic tune, though nothing that could have been considered 'slow'.

Colin pulled away and slowly stood at his side, so that their arms were outstretched, while joined together, "Lady Shadowmoon, may I have this dance?"

With the fire of twenty-nine hearths, Kyra felt her face nearly burst aflame, so much so that it was all she could do to simply nod, rather than speak her acknowledgement. In any case, Colin pulled her gently upon the dance floor, holding his free hand to her shoulder and swaying in a basic sort of dance to the tune of the music.

"You seem so much more…I don't know. Flustered since we last met," Colin noted sincerely, not wanting to offend her, "I know you've been a year removed from being in an emotionless environment, but…"

His point being made in that Kyra's face was invisible as her eyes remained glued to his torso, not looking up at him, mostly like due to her blushing.

"It's nothing…" she spoke, rather lowly, "It's just been a long time."

Colin smiled, "In night elf time?"

He could tell she had chuckled as slightly as possible, "Yes, even in that case."

Even though their dance was very basic, they both couldn't help but feel as though they were getting more and more lost in the act with each step. Kyra still refrained from raising her head, which eventually made it's way out of Colin's mind as he needed to focus more on where he was traveling across the floor.

Soon enough, the song ended and the dancing paused for the applause. Colin stopped as well, but kept his hands against Kyra, watching her bowed head, sadly. Gradually, the next song started up, which was clearly more of the 'slow' variety, which forced Colin into a dilemma. Since Kyra remained unmoved, he figured she had no reservations for this sort of thing; or, at worst, she had no idea what exactly such things entailed.

Colin began once again, stepping in time with the music, which had become quite slower. For no reason whatsoever, instead of pulling his hand away from her shoulder and then placing it at her hip, his hand inexplicably ran down the side of her body, rather slowly, unwittingly tracing the slight curve of her waist.

Rather surprised, his eyes had opened wider, and remained as such as Kyra's eyes finally looked up to meet his, though her face was so much more complex than his own. He saw sorrow, longing, confusion, and regret all in her face, all mixed around.

Whatever movement their feet had made had now ceased. They simply stood there, staring at one another, as though there was no air in that space for either of them to breath.

Finally finding whatever faculties he was capable of mustering, Colin spoke up, softly, "S-Sorry."

"No," she shot back immediately, nearly in a whisper, "Don't apologize."

He could only stare at her, absentmindedly, until a dancing pair came by and accidentally knocked him in his back, forcing him back to whatever reality it was he had now been in. He began moving his feet, though a lot less confidently now, and Kyra did her best to help out, slowly. The two were very much out of it at this point, so Colin simply stopped once they had made it to the edge of the dance floor, gently pulling Kyra with as he stepped toward the wall.

"Sorry; I didn't mean to stop," he muttered as he rubbed his face, "Like I said, I'm not one for dancing."

Kyra looked at him with a small smile as he pulled the collar of his suit, "Did it get hotter in here? Must be too many people."

In her earlier surveying, Kyra had spotted a balcony nearby, so she took the lead in pulling Colin along, skillfully ducking in between bodies as Colin continuously bumped into the same people a second afterward, his apologies being passed around like hors d'oeuvres. The balcony, thankfully for the latter, was empty, and Colin took a sharp breath as the cool air hit him.

"Sorry again," he groaned, though Kyra only giggled at him.

"And you had the audacity to point out my nerves," she grinned as she leaned against the railing that overlooked a set of lakes in the distance.

Colin groaned ashamedly as he held his hands against the same railing, holding his head down to hide his dismay. Kyra looked off into the distance, staring at the Pandaren balloon in the distance that was lit up in the darkness like an evening sun. She turned as Colin's head lifted up, now his eyes looking off into the distance.

"It's a new moon tonight," he spoke up, memorably, catching Kyra off guard.

She looked up to confirm his words, and sure enough, the sky was devoid of the heavenly body. She stared, lonely, into space as Colin continued on.

"I can't help but see you whenever I notice it. And I notice the moon a lot more now, too, so," he commented, slowly, "Whenever there's a new moon like tonight, it feels like I'm missing the dearest of memories."

His thumb glided against the marble of the railing as he stared down at it, "I even started missing that glow my cheek used to hold."

As if trying to hide, his face fell into his hand, propped up by his elbow against the rail, "But I truly missed being held by you most of all."

He sighed heavily as though unloading a mountain from his chest, and he lifted his body up, rubbing his hands up and down his face before looking off again, "So, you can understand how I feel when you show up after a year and we both so easily fall into this odd little…thing."

He sighed again, "A year ago, something like this might have been all I wanted, but damn if it isn't more complicated."

Kyra frowned as she lowered her head, crossing her arms, "I'm sorry; I probably should have explained as soon as we met up again. but I kind of got swept up, I guess, in seeing…well, your home."

"Let me preface it by saying that, no, I'm not here to mess with you or anything," she explained, "Everything that you might have felt today, everything that I know I felt today, it's all real, so hopefully that helps quell some nerves."

She grinned sadly as she moved over to Colin's side, hopping up to sit down atop the railing as Colin stood quite the opposite, leaving over with his arms resting beside her. Whatever bit of dusk there had been from the balloon was now gone, and the only lights in their sight were the glow from within the palace and the stars. Of course, for Colin, he saw two small beams of light in his peripheral vision that she could not.

"I volunteered for this assignment," she began, quietly, "Vylira was reluctant to give it out to anybody, given the circumstances, but I took it to further my standing and…well, so that I could see you again."

She turned her head to watch his neutral face, which now lit up slightly under her gaze, "It was a rather dangerous assignment, though only due to whose request it had been. I was to come here, to Stormwind; and after that fact, it wouldn't have mattered if I'd been tasked to fell an entire Legion horde by myself, I still would have accepted."

Her hand slowly crept toward his, though it stopped just nearby, as though waiting for his own confirmation, "A year ago, I may have fallen in love with you then and there, but I certainly refused to accept that. True, you're mortal. True, I had my own goals to pursue. But after being apart, month after month…"

"I remember laying there, curled up in the rain, snow, next to Eraenara, waiting for days to creep by just awaiting some Horde shipment or something that may not even pass by. Not a minute went by that I didn't think about how warm you felt, or how much this human affected me, and by Elune, he didn't even believe in what I was doing for a living."

She had grinned at that final part before returning to her gravely serious voice, "And I realized that the reason I forced myself not to fall absolutely head over heels in love with you was because I couldn't bear to live a lifetime without you in it forever. But at the same time, there I was, alone, with nothing to show for my lack of will."

Kyra's eyes dinner as she watched Colin's face, sadly, "That's why I've been so nervous. I knew that, if I had just one day by your side, I would be certain to tell you. Tell you that I can't even speak your name in my mind without my heart skipping a beat. If what I'm doing tomorrow is so dangerous, I want to make sure I'm spending my last moments of peace with the man I so desperately grew to love, despite every part of my heart and soul telling me not to."

In the middle of her confession, Colin had lowered his head, though he was still listening intently. A long pause erupted as Kyra finished, praying that Colin would say anything to dissolve the awkward air she felt was suffocating her.

Sure enough, he spoke up, quietly, "I guess it wasn't so complicated after all…"

Colin lifted his head and looked up at Kyra, whose face appeared to be so lost, "So long ago, we made a promise to one another."

His hand rested atop of Kyra's, which seemed to nearly burn in contrast to the cold marble underneath her hand. He then pulled his fingers around her hand, pulling it up near his chest and pressing it against his other hand so that her hand was fully engulfed in warmth.

"D'ana'no diel Ishura T'as'e," he spoke, in perfect Darnassisn, "And while Ashenvale and Elwynn may not be a cosmic distance away, I might as well have been light years away from how much I wanted to see your face again."

"Just yesterday, you might as well have separated by galaxies, and yet, here you are," Colin smiled slightly, pulling a hand away from hers and gently cupping it against her cheek, her face becoming a very stale look of shock, which only made him grin.

He leaned toward her, their lips meeting as gently as they had a year ago. Through closed eyes, Colin could still see the light of her eyes, remaining open in shock, but sure enough, after a moment, he had entered total darkness, now only lost within her lips that now seemed to hold the whole world.

Pulling away was the mightiest feat he had ever pulled off, but Colin managed to do so, and the two opened their eyes, seeming so intoxicated by one another. Kyra's face seemed somewhat saddened, though Colin was quick to help her off the railing so that he could her, tightly, pulling her as close as she seemed to want to be.

"D'ana'no diel Ishura T'as'e," she repeated shakily into his chest, bringing a smile to Colin's face as he closed his eyes, enjoying this being who loved him so.

He could tell she was crying, though he could only infer that it was in happiness that she was doing so. He only held her tighter, only stopping as she raised her head up toward him.

"I love you…Colin Dumerval," she spoke, brokenly, though with only the sweetest of smiles across her tear-streaked face.

He smiled back, resting his forehead against her own, their eyes still meeting, "And I love you, Kyra Shadowmoon."

With that, and only the stars themselves as witnesses, the two had come together once again. Surely uncertain of what was to come for the both of them, they only reveled in what had been, and what was, in that moment.

"I do believe the moon is out tonight," Colin smirked as the two held each other, swaying back and forth to the distant music flowing from within the Keep.

Kyra looked at him, confused, but Colin quickly explained, "I do believe you said as much yourself before we parted."

She blushed a deep red, remembering her words a year ago; pledging to be his "moon" in place of reverence of Elune, or something to that effect. She hid her face, once again, in his chest and sighed.

"I could always leave you in the dark, you know… I'm still a princess of Feralas; other than being easy, they're known to use that to get and run, you know."

Colin could only grin, "I have little of value, now. I have a heart that's filled with love and a few coins; that's about it."

Kyra sighed helplessly, "I bet the money from that invitation is a moot point now."

"I wouldn't have sold it for all the riches of Uldum," he confirmed, sweetly.


	3. Chapter 3

Colin helped guide Kyra down the steps that led from the door to his home into the small living area, as she still had her dress on, and wasn't keen on getting it caught on the way down.

"'Hilda' or somebody; whomever worked there, I could tell they wouldn't be keen on torn, rented dresses," Kyra grimaced as she carefully stepped down the steps.

Colin nodded, carefully watching her feet, "I'm not too keen on that sort of bill, either."

On solid ground, the two relaxed, but only for a moment until their eyes met and they both turned away in embarrassment.

"W-Well, I suppose I can start on dinner. I probably couldn't find the stuff to make spider silk stew, even if I wanted to, but there's plenty of other human cuisi-"

He had turned to the small kitchenette area that he had been allotted when he'd moved in, but as he turned to check on Kyra, she had stood up and had closed the gap between them.

"My lady?" was all Colin could mutter, glibly, as Kyra reached up to kiss him, only this time it as though she was attacking his lips, rather than just passively kissing them.

In a second, Colin's mind fell into a white blankness as Kyra's hands wrapped around the back of his head, her lips closing against his own before she would pull only an inch away to regroup, quickly returning to him in only a moment. Now completely lost in this state, Colin staggered back a step or two before finding the wall at his back, bracing himself against it.

Now without the need to focus on keeping two bodies stable, Colin quickly wrapped his arms around Kyra's waist, pulling her into his body without worry of leaving her lips, her hands still tightly glued to his head, running through his hair as he began to counter attack, chasing her lips when she would pull away, giving her less and less time to recoup and take a breath.

Eventually, she was unable to press on without a gasp, and she did so as she quickly pulled her head away, her eyes never leaving Colin's as they both took labored breaths.

"This is quite the sudden…development," Colin managed between breaths.

Kyra stared at him, seriously, though her eyes were as soft as they'd ever been. Despite her pulling back, her hands hadn't left Colin's neck and head, which she used to pull herself over to where her lips were a mere speck away from his ear.

"If you were faced with the possibility of one final night," she whispered, wavered with fear, "What would be the one thing you'd do that you've never done? Just so you could experience it?"

Given what had already transpired, Colin had to use little imagination to understand what she was saying. Nevertheless, he remained silent as Kyra remained at his ear, as though waiting for his reply. Before she could move, his ear turned away as his own lips came to her ear instead.

"You," he whispered back

She rapidly spun her head to see his, his face already full of the smirk that appeared there. As though a switch had been flipping once again, Kyra instantly found the side of Colin's head, her lips claiming every inch of his body that they could find, her position giving Colin the chance to bury his face into her shoulder, kissing and sucking up and down her neck as his hands found her shoulders to hold her in place as she shivered.

Pulling away for just a second, Colin grinned slightly as Kyra took the opportunity to lean her head down to kiss his neck, "I was told I'd be eating night elf tonight."

Kyra pulled back her head and stared at him hard, forcing him to laugh at her reaction before she spoke, "You're so lucky I'm in no position to stop right now."

Colin grinned boyishly as he continued to work at her neck with his lips, missing the grin that rolled onto her face as she held his head against her, closing her eyes to heighten her sense of touch.

"You humans do seem to have decently prioritized activities," she breathed heavily, nearly gasping as he lightly bit her neck before pulling away.

He smiled as their eyes met at length for the first time since they had begun this sensual dance, their hands still firmly placed upon one another. Kyra could see a glimmering trail of saliva dripping down Colin's chin, which flipped on some feral instinct from with her, though it was abated by Colin, in a split second, falling down to grasp around her knees before lifting her up and spinning around, pinning her against the wall, now kissing whatever parts of her chest weren't covered by fabric.

Kyra sighed lightly at the new sensation. Unable to reciprocate, she wrapped her arms around Colin's head and held on tightly to him, as though afraid of losing whatever sense of control she had left. He continued pecking at her skin, sucking tightly before pulling away and seeking another bit that he hadn't made his yet.

Kyra moaned slightly, her arms trembling more and more the lower his lips crawled, nearly making onto the fabric that was being held against her breasts. Her mind was in twelve different spaces, with no knowledge of how to reclaim any of them. She lowered her head to rest on top of Colin's as her arms wrapped as tight as ever, a small collection of starlight resting between her closed eyelids as she whimpered more and more.

Finally, she found her speed, somehow, and she stuttered greatly between vocalizations, "I… I ca-… I can't…"

Colin paused his kisses, but couldn't move his head from being held against her chest. All he could hear was ragged, heated breaths above him, broken by slight moans that seemed to punctuate her exhaustion, or frustration.

"I… I can't wait…anymore," she managed, quietly.

Through a grin, Colin stepped back and pulled her legs together, before pulling her to the side, catching her shoulders while his other hand had leapt over to catch her knees, leaving her being held in his arms. She might have blushed, but she was so far away from reality by now that it barely mattered to her anymore.

"You… You stud," she sighed heavily, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her face into his chest.

He grinned as he carefully stepped over various books or objects strewn across the floor, "Full disclosure: I've never done anything like this before."

"Liar," she muttered, immediately, not buying it.

Colin laughed lightly, "Really. I've had something like three hundred and sixty-five nights to imagine all this. A few more if you count the nights before we were apart."

Now a lot more grounded, Kyra blushed, though figured it was dark enough that she could hide it behind the lights of her eyes, "…how many nights before?"

Once again grinning like a schoolboy, Colin only pursed his lips as if to 'shush' her before turned his body and stepped through the threshold into the bedroom. Normally, the moonlight would shine through the small window, but even if it were out tonight, the moon never made it into here. Until tonight, that is.

He gently laid her down upon the small bed, maybe big enough only for one and a half people, and leaned down to kiss her again, tasting her lips for what seemed like the thousandth time tonight. He had one knee up on the bed to support himself, and not resuming her feverish trance, Kyra wrapped her hand against his thigh, as though pulling him onto the bed with her, but he resisted.

"We probably shouldn't ruin your dress," he reminded, carefully, though with an air of seductivity.

Now hopelessly embarrassed by what that meant, Kyra struggled to even nod, as her words failed her once again. With the look of somebody rather lost himself, Colin held his hands against her waist, running them closely against the sides of her body, forcing her to squirm, as he made it to her shoulders, grasping the top of her dress. He slowly pulled the dress toward him, gulping dismissively once he realized he wouldn't be encountering any undergarments.

Although it was completely dark, Kyra's eyes lit up the landscape as she followed his hands, his knuckles just a hair's breadth away from her skin. Finally, her breasts emerged, leaving Colin with not much more than another gulp at the sight. Suddenly in the spotlight, he looked up toward Kyra's face, just able to make out a smile behind her eyes, probably due to his nerves.

Regardless, his hand slowly reached up, grasped at her bulbous skin, nearly jumping as a contented gasp rose up from above him. He stopped from the shock, but smiled, carrying his hand across her skin, down into the valley between them.

"I've never felt your heartbeat," he spoke, slowly, "Not through your armor."

She stared into his eyes, almost as though such words were entirely unexpected. Her hand rolled up her side and latched onto the back of his hand, pulling it up to her face as she began kissing it, tenderly, closing her eyes. Colin lifted his leg over top of her so that he straddled her waist, giving freedom to his other hand that clutched onto her breast, his thumb pulling her skin underneath his palm before slowly springing back against the friction of his skin.

She began to squirm more and more, lost in a spot between her lips and her chest. Sweet moans escaped onto one of Colin's fingers that had been sucked into her mouth, Kyra's impassioned sounds being generated from Colin's hand, which danced in swirls around her breast, his fingers running atop her nipple, which caused a particularly rough moan from above him every time he'd done so.

In a split second, Colin pulled his hand away from her lips and fingers, quickly grasping her waist with both. He forcefully brought her further onto the bed before crawling up to meet her so that he was lower, closer to her body. She watched him through dimmed eyes as his hands ran up between the mattress and her back, pulling her torso up so that his lips could meet her chest, kissing gently at her sternum before slowly making his way down to that valley.

As his lips sucked their way up her curved landscape, he latched onto her nipple with his lips, his eyes shutting as he heard the jolting, yet contented sigh from above him, Kyra's hands immediately bolting for his shoulders as though keeping herself anchored to reality. She could feel his tongue dancing and swirling around, almost as though it were exploring every inch of her body.

Her moans began melting into soft whimpers as her legs began to squeeze against one another, rubbing at the thighs, but desperately trying to work their way further up, to no avail. Noticing her frustration, Colin leaned his head back, peeking up to her face as he remained connected to her. She stared back, but only barely; her ragged breaths forcing her body to rise and then suddenly fall back to the bed. He pulled his head back and with a sudden "POP", quickly accompanied by a just-as-instant yelp from Kyra, his body worked down lower, rolling her dress further down her body.

It had rested just under her breasts, but as the dress made its way further down her body, Colin was mesmerized by the statuesque shape of her stomach, almost elegantly shaped. Her stomach rose just as her chest had, before lowering itself, her tummy dancing along with its smooth surface.

Colin leaned down and kissed at her stomach, working his way lower as his hand continued pulling down her dress. His lips circled her belly button, and by the time Kyra realized what was happening, his tongue was dancing softly downward.

Almost in a panic, Kyra's hands reached down and grasped his wrists; not pulling on them, but holding them with enough of a tremble that Colin stopped, looking up to her eyes for guidance.

Her dimmed eyes offered him a slight enough chance to see her face. She had streaks of starlight tears down either side of her face, and her eyes stared at him in longing exhaustion. They simply stared at one another for what seemed like the longest time, though they both remained in the heat of the moment enough that their breaths continued, haggardly.

"You love me," Kyra muttered in between breaths, as a statement, though Colin could tell it was meant as a question.

He couldn't exactly understand why she'd had such a reaction, but as much as he'd wanted to be so close to somebody, it must have only been magnified to her through so many human lifetimes she'd equaled by now.

"I would love you for two hundred lifetimes," Colin spoke as he gingerly laid the side of his head against Kyra's stomach, "Much less for one."

He paused in thought, his eyes furrowing in sadness, "And I know that I can't be there for you forever. But I can only promise that…"

As he paused, Kyra's hand rubbed against his head, trying to comfort him as he pressed on, "…I promise that I'll make you the happiest, most loved, most fulfilled woman there ever was. Even Queen Azshara couldn't compare."

Kyra smirked lightly, "That's not exactly a compliment these days."

She could feel his smile across her stomach as her fingers let go of his head and fell back to his hand, which still clutched at her side. He began pulling her dress down once again, gently pulling away from her hands as her dress left her legs.

Returning his view to her body, he was now fully introduced to her nude body, a sight he thought was straight out of his dreams. He could only remain there, still, forcing Kyra to shiver nervously under his stare.

Finally, she let out a wavered gasp at the cold air which was magnified both by her nude skin and by her blood having rushed through her body so quickly. Colin seemed to snap awake, leaning down and curling his arms around her legs, kissing in and around her thighs, suspensefully trailing his lips and tongue over toward her own lips.

The closer he got, the more she shook, and soft whimpers grew from the other end of the mattress, and her legs grew tighter and tighter as her arms flew up above her head, furiously clutching for the edge of the mattress, trying to weather the storm down below.

Finally, she felt a warm mass just barely separating her lips, and a rather loud, yet heated, yelp rang out. She quickly lifted her head to see what was going on, only being met with the closed, contented eyes of Colin. She breathed deeply to prepare, but still managed another heated cry when that same sensation was multiplied, running up between her lips. Her hair was now strewn across the sheets, and it was all she could bear to desperately clutch onto the mattress, staring peerlessly up at the ceiling.

She could feel his own lips against her own, slightly pulling and sucking heavily, his tongue restlessly running up and down her slit before finally entering her, her moans turning into sensual yelps. She began to shake her waist, either enraptured or aimlessly searching for more pleasure, but nevertheless, Colin's arms roughly kept her against his mouth, allowing his tongue to follow the warm ripples and ridges within her, trying his hardest to follow them as deep as they went.

She cried out in pleasure every time her nerves suddenly exploded up and down the length of her body, and an empty speck began to form in her mind, growing larger the more her pleasure gradually grew, trying to consume her entire. Colin was, more or less, doing much the same, and his eyes opened as her legs continued shaking, trying to break free from his arms. In a moment, her eyes did the same, locking with his as his tonged lapped up the length of her lips, causing a rather loud yelp.

Suddenly, Colin's arms unwound from her legs, and she immediately wrapped them around his head, pulling his mouth as close as she possibly could into her body, his hands running roughly up her stomach before finding her breasts, slithering around them and softly kneading them until Kyra's hands rushed down to clasp against his pair. Amongst the cries, the moans, and the loud gasps for breath, Colin watched her eyes shut as tight as they could, starlight rolling down her cheeks from the sheer pleasure that had overwhelmed her.

As loud as she had become, in an instant she had become silent, and Colin found the spots that he had now already memorized caused her to make the loudest noises, instantly working them intently enough that he hadn't realized her hands had left his until they more or less clawed onto his scalp, her voice finally reappearing in an incredibly succulent, prolonged groan, her crotch pushing against Colin's face, nearly smothering him, though he would have happily breathed Kyra in as a replacement for oxygen at this point.

Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through Kyra's body in a sensation that she hadn't even imagined before this point. As immense as it was, it didn't take long for her body to resist it continuing, though it continued to intoxicate her, and her only defense was her body physically forcing her to push away Colin's face, though her legs remained locked around it. Realizing she to be in this rapture, Colin slowly paused his advance, pulling away his tongue in exchange for his lips, kissing up and down her own as she cooled down, her body still shaking periodically with orgasm.

Eventually, her legs acquiesced and released Colin's head, though he remained for a bit, continuing to kiss around her inner thighs. His eyes remained looking up the length of her body, watching her body quiver and rise and fall from her deep breaths, memorizing the way every bit of her moved in siluch a moment. Slowly enough, her head rose up to peer down at him, such a beauteous sight to behold for him; the glow of her eyes glimmering over top her bosom.

Much as he'd gotten down there, he reversed his track, slowly crawling and kissing up her body. As drained as she was, she wasn't able to move at all, and she simply dropped her head to the side, only allowing her eyes to make the effort to follow him approaching her.

Having tasted her other pair of lips for a prolonged period of time, Colin happily returned to her other pair, his hand held against her cheek which almost seemed to burn from how cold she'd become. Seeing her shiver so much, Colin laid beside her, grasping at his blanket and hurriedly pulled it across both of their bodies. Still robed, Colin was now rather concerned for her well-being, which much have showed on his face as Kyra stared deeply at it, grinning.

"I'll be okay," she mustered through cold breaths, "I've survived hundreds of things I've hated; I'm not about to succumb due to the man I love."

Colin lowered his head helplessly, grinning, before raising it up again to look upon his fair lady, "I would expect nothing less from a Silverwing."

"Damn right," she smirked.

They watched one another for a few minutes, though given what had just transpired, it had seemed like an eternity. Their eyes never left one another's, and even if in the past Kyra's eyes had proved to bright for Colin to look into for long, now he watched them unhindered by their ghostly shimmer. Her breaths began to return to normal, as her body came to rest, Colin tenderly placed his hand atop her stomach, rubbing over to either side of her body.

"And you have an assignment tomorrow," Colin spoke, sadly.

Kyra's teeth clenched her bottom lip, though she couldn't help but nod in reply. Colin sighed, lowering his head down between her neck and shoulder as her hand reached over to massage his head, running softly through his hair. She apologized, but Colin shook his head, his nose brushing against her skin before his face rose again.

"Don't apologize. That's like apologizing for this entire night," he surmised, albeit sadly still, "I can take a bit of heartbreak, especially now."

He leaned down to kiss her shoulder, sucking still as he pulled away, whispering, "D'ana'no diel Ishura T'as'e."

Her eyes peered over to his scalp, his face still buried within her, and her hand left his hair, clasping against his shoulder. He watched as she so gracefully pushed him onto his back, following him along, coming to a finish atop of him. The blanket still somewhat surrounded the two of them, so he was met with darkness beneath her face, but she still beamed as she leaned her head down beside his, speaking quietly.

"Night elves have another ancient tradition. Words spoken before giving yourself, wholly, to another. Not necessarily physically, but it can be used as such. There's a ancient flower, the Alor'el, which is the Lover's Leaf. While now extinct, they were presented to the one whom you were prepared to spend a thousand lifetimes alongside."

Kyra's hand had worked its way between Colin's shirt and pants, working its way ever so gently up toward his chest, carefully riding the subtle ridges of his torso, "Nowadays, we simply affirm "Alor'el ador'e"- something like 'your lover beside you'."

Colin smiled as her story ended, though her words had just begun, her lips resting against his ear, "Alor'el ador'e."

Her hand had made it up to his chest, and simply rested there, though she held her weight there on her hand, as though bracing herself against him almost as though testing how durable he was.

She jumped as his hand came to her cheek, which she hadn't seen in this position, and his head turned so that his lips met her ear, "Alor'el ador'e. For a thousand lifetimes."

In that instant, her fingers closed up into her hand, clawing at Colin's skin in the process. She had quickly pulled her head back and immediately began kissing him, slowly massaging his chest as she attacked his lips and, soon enough, tongue. Even considering earlier, Colin saw a lust in her eyes that he hadn't seen before, and he quickly attempted to keep up, though still found it rather difficult.

Though their mouths were both in the middle of dancing, Kyra pulled away slowly, clutching Colin's chest with both hands. She stared down at her hands being supported by him, certain that that warm mass of skin could do so. It seemed so powerful to her; and her memories flashed back to those times being surrounded by this man in a hug, his chest and shoulders more like castle walls than skin and bone. The thought so wildly excited her and she lifted herself up, the blanket slowly falling behind her, caught up at her shoulders. Colin could only watch in rapture, mesmerized as the wooly sheet slowly passed her shoulders before falling near immediately down behind her.

Straddling his midsection, Kyra peered down at him, her hair a lovely mess. His shirt had ridden up above his chest, and Kyra grasped at its bottom, lifting it off of Colin's body as he lifted his shoulders and head. After that, her arms returned to her side, her right arm continuing on behind her as she shifted her weight forward. Her hand caught on to the hem of his pants, which lay right underneath her, and pulled them away behind her, Colin working them along the rest of his legs until a soft thump hit the floor.

Then, silence, save for a growing pant from Kyra's mouth as she peered down between her thighs. She peeked up toward Colin, who was quietly doing the same, though the both of them were slightly shaking from the cold, or perhaps the nerves.

Suddenly, a smile emerged on Kyra's face, her hand returning to his chest, though it ran down his body, almost teasingly. As it passed his stomach, Colin began to tense up, his nerves beginning to fire more and more rapidly, and as her hand left, her finger tips trailing behind, he held his breath as those hand that had so often comforted him, that he had taken so many times, now took him.

Kyra watched her hand as it twisted and turned, as though exploring, though it was all the same to Colin, who began seething through clenched teeth. As Colin had done to her, she began studying him, memorizing which parts did what to him, and as her fingers slowly worked his length, they ran across the tip and a rather large gasp emerged from her partner.

She looked and grinned at him through her hair, which ran wildly in front of her face in the most beautiful way, quickly repeating the gesture. Colin released another groan, though not as prominent, as he was expecting the sensation this time around. Kyra went on, having fun simply teasing his lower body. She had traced her finger up a ridge between his thigh and leg; she would ride her crotch up his own, slowly; the more anguished Colin's face became, the more entranced she became.

She had begun running her ringed fingers up his length, though not completing the act past his most sensitive part, instead returning to the bottom, leaving Colin laying there with clenched fists and gritting teeth. In a split second, he lifted his torso and grasped onto Kyra's shoulders, spinning her over onto the bed with a bestial vigor. He had dropped her on her back, though still hanging on; he was atop of her, staring at her with a starved face. She smirked mischievously up at him as his ragged panting faintly blew through the air, the heat of his breath catching her face.

"You want me," Kyra spoke, pulling his head toward her own so that their foreheads touched, "So take me."

His eyes peered as deep into her own as they had ever ventured, to the point where Kyra felt a twinge of defenselessness. While lost in his eyes, Colin quickly found himself lost within her himself. Her voice rapidly burst into the air as the two of them came together, her rasping cry turning into a crescendo of loud, disjointed whimpers. As though having lost all control, her arms wrapped quickly around Colin's back and head, and she squeezed his body tightly against her own.

Now Colin was also lost within her bosom, and while not quite as earth-shatteringly pleasurable, he could faintly feel the rapid beating of her heart, which seemed almost to beat in time with her cries of pleasure. He had gone the length and stopped, though Kyra continued to softly whimper, pulling his hair into her mouth so as to quiet the noises she desperately tried to quell.

She could feel Colin's lips against the skin of her chest, and she shut her eyes, almost daring the pleasure to continue. Without any provocation, Colin began, and immediately, Kyra began to shake. This time, however, he didn't stop, leaving Kyra to deal with the torrential waves of pleasure than ran across every ripple of her mind.

Colin quickly discovered that, for all he'd endured up to this point, he was severely unprepared for this portion. The thought only entered his mind for a moment, as the pleasure he himself was enduring built so rapidly he would have been shocked if his mind wasn't in a daze at the moment. He sought the deepest pleasure within the arms and cries of this woman he so deeply loved himself.

Kyra's body began to jerk around as she approached her own ending to this ritual. Without much thought at all, her fingers ran like claws against Colin's back, her hand having left his head once she realized it wasn't going anywhere with his lips repeating their worship of her breasts. When it became inevitable that time was no longer of the essence, Colin lifted his head and found Kyra's lips, her pair readily able to find his tongue as her own emerged, the two of them dancing and massaging one another as the other end of their bodies nearly poured out in waves of pleasure.

Finally, Colin burst out in a primal groan as his mouth escaped Kyra's, his face pulling away to bury itself in the crook of her neck, leaving her to cry out in pleasure as she pulled her face as close as she could to his head. Between the rapid pulsations of blankness covering her mind and the waves coming from within her, so found that there was no world. There was no universe. It was only her and him.

Colin dropped softly onto her body, exhausted, his breath rapidly trying to find relief. He opened his eyes to find Kyra still in the throes of pleasure, but she slowly came to her own end, her arching back once again finding the mattress. There they lay; drenched. exhausted. in love.

Moving any distance he could find to get closer, Colin pressed his head against her shoulder as his arms surrounded her, pulling her into him. She slowly wrapped an arm around him, she being much too far gone to realize what she'd done. Her eyes seemed so distant as they peered into Colin's eyes, as though she were completely vacant.

He leaned down, drawing a tender kiss from her lips, which seemed to bring her back to reality, though the lights of her eyes shook as she stared blankly upward, "W-Wow."

Colin reached over and grasped the ill-strewn blanket and pulled it over the two of them, not even wanting to lose their heat from that moment. Kyra seemed cold anyway, but Colin had found her skin, now, to be much warmer, so he only held her more as he laid back down.

She looked over to him, her face a portrait of uncertainty, "Th-That was… was…"

She was caught between her mind still remaining somewhat blank and a legitimate loss for words, but Colin carefully finished the words for her, he hoped, "Perfect."

She stared at him, her chest still moving in waves as she panted, and then nodded. Colin grasped around her and fall onto his back, pulling her along so that she was now laying at his side. Her head landed on his shoulder, though she slowly slid it down to his chest. His heart had already calmed for the most part, so she did her best to concentrate on timing her breaths and her heartbeats to his own, her eyes closing to further feel his body moving.

While somewhat concerned for her odd behavior, Colin held a hand to her head, though Kyra slowly reached up grasped his hand, pulling it down to his stomach and holding him tightly. He wondered if she had had a condition or something, but it appeared as though she had it under control whatever it was. Eventually she had calmed down herself, but by then, the two had fallen asleep.

To be sure, this one night together was worth more than the one year they had spent apart.


	4. Chapter 4

Kyra awoke suddenly, and in a slight daze, though there was still only darkness around her. She could see her hand in front of her, resting atop her partner's stomach, allowing her to under that her head was on the person's chest. Sure enough, with just a quick listen, she heard a heartbeat, along with the warmth of skin on the side of her head. As her senses returned, she began to feel her hair being stroked, and she quickly realized that Colin was still awake.

Though she hadn't moved, she heard his warm voice from behind her, "Hey."

She confusedly squinted her eyes, but after she hadn't replied instantly, her head began lightly bouncing up and down as Colin chuckled quietly, "I can see your eyes lighting up everything, you know; there's no use hiding."

Kyra turned her head into him, slowly nuzzling her face against his chest, "I wasn't."

He smiled as his hand found hers, twirling his fingers around her own, "How're you feeling? You seemed as though you were taking a while to calm down; I was getting worried for a moment."

He paused for a moment, "I couldn't even sleep. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Kyra's other hand stroked his torso as she adjusted her pose so that she could look up at his face, a slight smile greeting him, "Yeah. I'm fine."

Her hand had come to rest above his heart, "When we fall in love so deeply, our hearts tend to emulate the same rhythm as our lover's. It's not something we control, and I'm sure such a, uh…drawn out activity sort of proceeded it earlier than usual."

"I wasn't expecting it at all," she admitted, ashamedly, "So when it happened, I sort of panicked, but I know that if I heard your breathing and your heart, it might have helped. I think it did."

She blushed as her eyes shot away, "Besides, it felt so good, I might not have been able to control much of anything even if I had been aware of it…"

Colin smiled as his hand continued clasping strands of her hair between his fingers, before pulling down the length of her purple locks. Given everything earlier, it had been quite a while for him to remember that she'd be gone just the next day. Although he smiled, it only was to hide his sadness from her; he wanted this night to be perfect for her, until its conclusion.

"I never knew how any of this would feel," Kyra softly continued, "Aside from all the physical stuff too. It kind of frightens me how close I was to living my life devoid of feeling loved."

"You have your family and friends, though," Colin reminded her, to her dismay.

"To be honest, there's plenty about us Shadowmoons that you're not aware of. If there's a lot within a name, it's right there," she grinned faintly.

Colin searched through his mind, but couldn't come up with much in relation to her name. He vaguely remembered a place in Outland, but nothing to do with names, nor did he ever think to check.

"Vylira is an amazing person, whom I love dearly," Kyra smiled, though, as quick as it had appeared, it disappeared, "But after her, we Shadowmoons are sort of all over the place. The biggest reason I aspired to join the Sentinels was to emulate her because I respected her so."

She smiled again, "When I was a kid, one of my brothers led me into a grellkin cave and left me there as a prank. Though, it was anything but, to me. I think I was in there all night, but Vylira had punched him and had him tell her where he'd left me. Then she got two of our siblings and came to rescue me."

She continued, though visibly annoyed by the next part, "I was still in my weak part of life, and although I had some siblings wanted me gone, Vylira was always my protector. I've loved her for it ever since."

Colin stared up toward the ceiling and listened, interested in her stories. While he had no family himself, he enjoyed Kyra recounting her own, though it wasn't without some tinge of sadnes that he easily ignored.

"She was the only sibling you ever mentioned on Teldrassil," Colin recalled, fleetingly.

Kyra sighed, gently tapping her fingers against Colin's skin in thought, "Let's see. There's Nylfallas, and he's in Silithus last I knew. Syheath, she's the youngest besides me. She's in Northrend of all place, I believe traveling with a band of leatherworkers. Then there's Aaleas, then Y'eanel. And the last is…"

She paused, abruptly, which even caught Colin's attention. He turned down his head to watch her, though nothing else seemed different, other than the fact that she had just stopped speaking. He had noticed he had stopped stroking her hair as well, so he went on, hoping that it was comforting enough to quell whatever she'd had on her mind.

"Kelaeth," she spoke, coldly, "…he's the oldest."

She paused, Colin able to feel the tension she had stored within her body, "At least it was when we were younger."

Colin leaned his head back, thinking about her words, though she wasn't completed, and her voice quivered once again, "A few thousand years only gives one that much longer to fall."

When Kyra awoke the next morning, she had noticed immediately that her pillow had gone missing. Her pillow being, of course, Colin, and she found herself sprawled across the warm mattress in a rather indecent display. She quickly fixed her position and sat up, holding the blanket to her chest. She looked around but was alone, and confused as she was, got out of bed, trying to find her clothes, which she had dropped off here between getting her dress and meeting Colin.

She returned her underwear to her body, found her pants which went under her armor, and grasped at her undershirt, but paused, eying a similar looking garment poking out from Colin's dresser. She diligently walked over and took it, pulling it over her head, examining it with a smile. While it wasn't nearly as good as a hug from him, Kyra still felt a warm tingle down her spine at the idea.

She tied a ball around the side of the shirt to gather the excess fabric and started out of the room, slowly turning the corner as though apprehensive. She only found Colin standing by the small kitchenette, in the middle of cooking, and she slowly approached him, but wad thwarted by a stack of books held precariously near the edge of some shelves. Just barely hitting her arm against them knocked them to the ground, and Colin turned to see her with a frown.

"I wanted to bring this to you in bed," he muttered, disillusioned as he returned to his task.

Kyra grinned and approached him, holding onto his shoulders and peeking around him, noticing a pan full of foods she hadn't seen before.

"Got all your human classics," Colin nodded, "Chicken eggs, pig side, cow milk. And I've eaten spider silk stew, so you can't complain."

Kyra shook her head with a smirk, "Of course not! It's exciting, actually; it looks like something out of one of the cook books we had collected in our library."

Colin pointed her toward the table, "Well go sit down and we'll enjoy it together, alright? It's almost done anyway."

Doing as instructed, Kyra sat down and looked around, the small home seeming almost new in the morning light. Granted, with such a small window, it was still rather dark, though Kyra hadn't minded in the least. She turned as Colin approached her, placing a delectable looking plate of food before her, forcing her to lick her lips.

Colin sat across from her and grinned as she hadn't the ability to resist eating immediately rather than waiting for him. Kyra finally coughed, covering her mouth rather ornately and embarrassingly looked off.

"Erm, sorry," she apologized.

"It's the best compliment," Colin assured her happily as he'd politely taken a fork to his meal, "So when are you leaving today?"

Still having paused her eating, Kyra frowned, "Around noon."

The two allowed the silence to immerse them, though they both went on eating, albeit sadly, eventually leading to Kyra going on, "Do you regret me accepting it?"

"God, no," Colin spoke sharply, staring at her in pleading, "I mean, it's unfortunate that's it was only for one day, but what was the alternative?"

He lowered his head, picking at a piece of his breakfast, "You're a Silverwing after all. You'll be done in no time, and then…"

He was so caught up in his last thought that he went too far, and became much more happy that he's lowered his head. Kyra only smiled sweetly at the though he'd not finished. They continued eating slowly, as though it would allow the day to crawl by slower itself.

"We could do whatever we wanted," Kyra spoke up, quietly, "It's not forbidden, but there's still something of a stigma on night elves being with mortals. Unless it's somebody high enough to earn respect, that is. Considering the assignment, if completed, I may be such."

"Is that why you took it?"

"Somewhat," Kyra admitted, grinning under her breath, "Even if it had turned up that you'd run to another, it would help my career anyway."

"There's never been another," Colin spoke bluntly, "You're the only woman who's given me anything equating to the time of day. That alone, you stand much higher than any other. After that, I'm loyal even to a fault, so I'm pretty much at your command."

He smiled at her, alongside upturned eyes, "I've not had a home since I was child. Maybe all my traveling was just me subconciously seeking one. And maybe I found it."

Kyra blushed before returning to her meal to deter any further embarrassment. Colin's hand reached over to hold hers, which she quickly accepted.

"What is this big assignment, anyway?" Colin asked, just realizing he had no idea what it was.

Kyra shrugged lightly, "Just a typical hunting down. A night elf, a druid, left Moonglade under false pretenses…I suppose. I wasn't given much to go on, but it's not so much the task as the client. The Dragonflight hasn't asked for aid in thousands of years, so I figured accepting it would help me t-…"

She felt Colin's hand go cold, and she immediately looked up to see his pale face. His eyes were glued to her hand, but upon realizing her eyes on his face, he slowly glanced up toward her.

"No…" she whispered.

Realizing, already, that there was no hiding it, Colin pulled his hand away and stood up, "Kyra, listen, you need to understand-"

"You're harboring a fugitive?!"

Colin shook his hands in the air, "Kyra, I didn't want this to happen! But he- I…"

He sighed, clutching his head, "Look, I cant tell you why. But I need you to understa-"

His eyes made the quickest glance over toward an old wardrobe in the corner of the room, and Kyra noticed immediately, turning and stomping toward the larger piece of furniture, swinging the door open and peering into the eyes of a man, with long, straggling green hair, looking back at her. Kyra stood still, as did the night elf staring at her with the same look a cat has when backed into a corner.

Colin approached her from behind, holding her shoulder, but she immediately shook him off before he could retort, "I'm doing this for you, Kyra."

She turned toward Colin, pointing back toward the wardrobe, "I'm doing this for you! I don't know what he promised you, but this man is wanted dead or alive by the Dragonflight! Do you realize what that means?!"

Colin lowered his head, "For what he can give, I would become the enemy of the whole of Azeroth."

Hearing that, stunned, Kyra stood there, silent, not even moving as the man stepped out from the wardrobe, rushing over to the window to peek out from it. Colin remained staring into Kyra's confused eyes, holding his hands onto her shoulders, his voices wavering as he continued.

"Do what you feel is right. I would love for you to come with us, but I know you won't. You're bound by your honor, which is what I love about you. But if this happens, you're going to do things, and I'll be forced into doing things that may not please either one of us. But I want you to remember this."

He reached down into his shirt and pulled out a foxed statuette, carved from wood, resembling exactly the same one Kyra had been given a year ago. He held it in front of his face, its leather cord still around his neck, much to Kyra's shock.

"Do you still have yours?"

She lowered her head, disheartened, "I've never let it leave me since we parted."

She gently pulled it from her pocket. The thin rope had been frayed, and the totem itself has been worn. Colin reached up and held her cupped hand from below, closing it around the wooden piece, not allowing his eyes to part from hers.

"Come with me," he spoke, quietly, "Please."

She looked up at him with the same disheartened look on her face from earlier, and although she wanted nothing else but to follow this man, she couldn't help her head turning back and forth in denial. Colin sighed, but he carefully pulled his necklace from his head and brought it over to Kyra.

"Here's yours," he spoke, softly, "It won't work otherwise, right?"

Finally, Kyra revealed something of a faint smile, carefully dropping her cared for possession into Colin's hand as he let his fall over her head.

"No matter what happens, know that I love you, alright?" he told her, "No matter what you feel you have to do…"

He pulled her head close and softly kisses her forehead, "…I know that you love me too."

As he pulled back to see her face, droplets of starlight managed to sit at her eyes, a cluster of them just starting to fall down her cheek. The night elf hopped down from a counter he had been standing on, rushing over to Colin and tightly grasping his shoulder. Just then, the loudest BANG erupted from the door, just a single one.

"It's them," the man spoke, matter-of-factly.

Colin pulled Kyra in for one final hug, "I know I'm being a fool, but I'm doing this for us. For you. Please don't forget that."

Kyra didn't have time to reply before the night elf had pulled Colin back toward the inside of the small hovel. She only stood there, hearing the sound of furniture scraping, and then nothing. She stood in silence, staring off into space, lost.

\---------------------------------------------------------

Colin lay awake, Kyra's warmth caught within the woolen boundary that encompassed the two of them. She had fallen asleep earlier, but Colin couldn't bear to do the same. He could barely comprehend that any of this had actually happened to him even as far back as meeting this person. That was already supremely unlikely, but to have met this woman, so beauteous as well, but who also grew to love him the way he had for her, it was very much surprising for him to think about.

He had lived most of his life alone, though there were women here and there. Most, if not all, however, had had ulterior motives or, to be sure, were simply using him for some random reason. Colin had grown to be much more skeptical of people, but when he'd first ended up in Stormwind, and while still growing up, he was quite a bit more naïve.

While still in school, he had been given punishment for another student copying his work, and an eloquent attempt to ask a girl out had resulted in a few months of underhanded teasing; in the end, he had simply collapsed into his own mind, and when given opportunities to escape through travel, he took them quite readily.

Through his meetings, he had become a lot more friendly, though still remained vigilant of other's motives. When meeting Kyra, one of the reasons he had been so readily accepting was that he understood her own goals, or rather Tyriel's, which relieved him of any thought toward ulterior motives.

To be sure, Kyra was gorgeous in his eyes, though putting that aside, he greatly admired her. She was strong, where he may otherwise not be, and she had a great sense of honor, where Colin wondered vaguely, possibly finding a cause or home to fight for in his own way. She was forthright, which he also enjoyed, and as he had explained to her before, the mere fact that she seemed able to bear a conversation with him was enough of an aphrodisiac for one so often misunderstood.

In the end, the stars had somehow aligned and Colin lay there with another's arms around him. He never expected any of this to ever happen to him, ever the lone wolf, and yet, here he was. He couldn't stand the thought of sleeping and ruining this opportunity to revel in the afterglow of this angel beside him.

Sure enough, it is nearly law that such moments are sure to be spoiled.

In this case, the moment was ruptured by a single knock on the window in the other room, leaving Colin surprised. He lifted his head and stared out the door, seeing nothing but the dark vacuum, and resting his head again.

That was not the end, however. Another single knock broke out a few moments later, and Colin sighed quietly as he turned to Kyra. Her face was so contented in sleep, he couldn't help but pause and study it, though only for a few seconds. He gently pulled himself from Kyra, who was in a deep enough sleep not to have noticed, and he quickly found his clothing to return to his body, quietly rushing to the front door.

He quickly swung it open angrily, seething, "What?!"

Nothing.

Surprised, Colin peered around outside, making sure to check every crevice with his eyes. There wasn't any evidence of anybody even being there, but Colin slowly lowered himself down to check the window. Sure enough, the dust on the face of the glass had been pressed off; somebody had indeed tapped on it, though…

"What the hell..?" Colin muttered quietly, examining the arcane pattern upon which the dirt had been removed.

It was certainly not humanoid. It seemed the pattern of a beast, and one of which Colin had never seen before. He quietly stepped back toward the door, but he immediately noticed a dark pattern flying out from the darkness. While most might have fled, for no reason, Colin pounced onto the figure, pinning the beast against the wall of his home.

He quickly realized that it was, indeed, a man. A night elf of all people. Colin shot his head up to see a stoic looking man angrily piercing his eyes into Colin's. Though he didn't stop holding the elf against the wall, Colin shook in surprise.

"I'm not here to do harm," the man spoke it a dry voice, "Had I, you'd be dead fifteen times over in the time it's taken for me to say this."

Colin stared at him, refusing to let the man go as he continued, dryly, "You're taller than I had expected."

"Who are you?!" Colin spoke quietly, though a tad maliciously

The man brought his hands to Colin's wrists and pushed them up and away, though Colin didn't budge. The night elf stared at Colin as though staring ten miles through him, and then, in an instant, vanished. Colin leaning roughly into the hand, scraping his hands, and quickly spun around, seeing the man having escaped behind him, somehow.

"My name is Ascal. I am a druid, born under Loganaar, and I've come here on an assignment."

Colin eyed him suspiciously, "Assignment. From whom?"

"That, I cannot say."

"Well, you'd better," Colin muttered, "You seem to require my cooperation, and I'm not about to give that without answers."

Ascal stared deeply at him, though slowly shut his eyes. Colin watched him, critiqueingly, when suddenly, rainbows shot barely through closed line of his eyelids. Colin stepped back hastily, his eyes opening wider as Ascal's arms seemed to begin levitating through no effort of his own. Colin felt the cold wall of his home at his back, and as Ascal took a step forward, Colin slid down the wall, falling to the ground, helplessly staring up at the technicolored face of the man before him.

Suddenly, Ascal's eyes opened, and he stared down at Colin, who was still shocked by the event, his voice stuttering as he pointed up toward the elf, "T-There's only one being who-"

"Think it, but don't speak it," Ascal muttered, "I've come due to powers much greater than my own. Powers that seek to reward you for your cooperation in my endeavors."

He leaned down to offer his hand, which Colin took, and helped the human to his feet, "Escort me to Mount Hyjal. That is my mission. Though I play consort to a being much powerful than any on Azeroth, that also allows equally powerful rewards."

"She knows what you seek," Ascal spoke quietly, "Should you do this, you shall be granted immortality."

Colin stared into his glowing eyes, stupefied by his words, and he found himself speechless for a moment before managing a few words, "Why me?"

Ascal closed his eyes, though his eyes didn't begin glowing in every color, "I come because, what you seek, you will easily fight to attain it. Because, where one of you goes, the other is sure to follow."

Colin stared at him drolly, though quickly sighed, "Obviously you aren't informed; we've been apart for a year."

"And yet I find her here, tonight," Ascal noted plainly, noticing Colin's confusion, "There's only so few night elves in Stormwind; I followed her scent to get to you."

Colin watched him skeptically, finally putting together the fact that this was, indeed, a druid, but Ascal retorted with a slightly disgusted look on his face, "I seem to catch it on you as well."

Colin turned away, scratching the back of his neck as he blushed, slightly, obviously thinking about Ascal's words, which seemed to upset him.

"I offer immortality and you stand here to think?"

Colin turned to him blankly, "I'm sorry that this kind of thing has sort of eluded me for the past twenty-five years."

Ascal turned away this time, frowning.

"I need to discuss this with Kyra," Colin concluded, but Ascal shook his head.

"That is against my orders," he replied, plainly, "She is not to know of your gambit. At least, not about what it is you're seeking."

Colin sighed, lowering his head. Had this happened just a few nights ago, he could have easily turned it down. Though he loved Kyra, she easily could have just been another woman in the wind to him, never to be seen again. After the last twelve or so hours, however…

"Alright," Colin muttered quietly, "I just have to get you to Hyjal?"

Ascal nodded, "That is what has been asked of me."

Colin looked up at him, "It won't be easy, will it?"

"Immortality never is," Ascal replied, "At least from what I hear from the one I call master."

Colin sighed lightly. He had given everything he had to Kyra, everything but his life. Even then, as it stood at this moment, his life was cheap, relative to hers l, simply in terms of quantity. He couldn't bear to leave her alone for so many lifetimes, having already given everything of hers to a dead man. At this moment, there was only one real option.

He slowly made his way toward the door that lead down to his home, "When do we need to leave?"

Ascal shrugged, "Whenever. Just before those who hunt me catch up. They should be here by mid-day tomorrow, I would surmise."

Colin stared off into the distance, "Well, we could catch a ship out of port, but they won't be operating until tomorrow morning. Have you had any rest?"

Shaking his head, Ascal answered, "I have not eaten nor slept in many weeks. To sleep means to enter the Dream, which means they can easily find me."

He grimaced in as neutral a way as possible, "My lady only speaks to me when absolutely necessary."

Colin nodded, opening his door, "Well you're welcome to anything to eat. Once you're done, hang out in the closet until Kyra leaves. I'd rather not gave to explain and leave things out."

"Understood," Ascal nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

Kyra sat, disillusioned, inside a small tent that had been set up as a temporary office for planning and strategy. Despite her morning, she had still made it to her appointment which was when she was to be given control over the hunt for this rogue druid. Her superior was to meet her here, and although they were rather late, Kyra hardly noticed.

She leaned forward to rest her head, noticing the fabric of her shirt rolling down a bit against her body. She slowly touched the fabric, realizing that, in her absent-mindedness, she had forgotten to take off Colin's shirt.

Suddenly, she heard the curtain behind her raise up and she quickly took to her feet, spinning around, only to haemve her face taken aback in shock.

"Is that the kind of greeting I receive?" Tyriel grinned, bowing to her before walking to the opposite side of the desk.

Kyra bowed late, hastily taking her seat as Tyriel had, "Wait, what are you doing here?!"

Smiling still, Tyriel raised her hands, "They figured you would benefit from working under somebody you were familiar with. Besides, after your little stunt, I wasn't exactly in a position to refuse; but look at you!"

She gasped the table as though holding herself back from leaping across the table, "You've gotten so much more mature! My little grunt has become a Silverwing! You know, you've been mentioned rather frequently up in Darnassus. Of course, I'm much too modest to tell them how much I knew better than anybody else!"

Kyra lowered her head to hide a grin, though she was also hiding her look of sadness from earlier. Tyriel leaned back and, as her excitement had all been expelled, she peered at her subordinate with critiqueful eyes.

"Are you well?" she asked, lightly.

Quickly, Kyra nodded, "Of course!"

Tyriel grinned, leaning forward, "You're cute when you honestly believe that you can pull one over on me, you know. What's wrong?"

Kyra stared at the ground of the tent. She now stood at a crossroad. If she mentioned Colin, that would eventually link him to this druid, she thought, by his absence, at some point. For the slightest moment, she honestly considered revealing it all, but mentally berated herself. Despite everything, she belonged to Colin as much as he belonged to her. In the course if knowing the man, she knew him to be resourceful, and a tad bit reckless, but he had nothing but goodness in his heart, and the handprint of Elune upon his shoulder. That must have counted for something. In the end, it all added up to meaning that Colin truly believed he was doing something for Kyra's benefit. But for what? What objective that he would risk certain death at the hands of gods?

"Nothing," Kyra spoke quietly, "Just a little homesick is all."

Tyriel continued staring at her in silence, which Kyra could feel without looking up. She didn't stop even when the tent curtains began to flutter violently, signally another entrance. Kyra remained where she was, but she heard Tyriel stand up to greet them.

"Calen, was it?" she spoke.

"Correct," Kyra heard from behind her in an unusually light voice, "I was told to meet our new lieutenant he-"

In a snap, Kyra had stood, spun around, and bowed perpendicular to the ground below, suddenly realizing who had entered, "M-My deepest apologies."

She had shut her eyes as tight as she could in shame, but found it odd that she could almost feel Calen smiling, as though the very air around her had become lighter and warmer. She remained there, but Calen was quick to excuse her.

"You may take a seat," he spoke, loosely, "We're all three in a tent on a plot of farmland just outside Stormwind; I believe we're all exempt from formality at this point."

Kyra did as instructed, leaving Calen to stand beside Tyriel across from her, clearing his throat, "I must apologize for the suddenness of everything, but when mother wants something done, it tends to be understood that she means immediately."

"Oh, no; it wasn't sudden at all!" Kyra assured him.

He nodded in acknowledgement, "In any case, allow me to explain our haste. My mother, Alexstrasza, has reason to believe that a druid by the name of Ascal Raventree deliberately forewent his training in order to commune with her sister, Ysera. Though it is not known why he would do this, given everything that has gone on lately throughout Azeroth, we can't allow any chance at corruption."

His neck twitched as he turned away, "Ysera isn't speaking, though she has assured us that there was no ill intent. Regardless, this druid violated his birthright, and though my aunt has jurisdiction, per se, my mother has decided that she has not the ability to punish the man fairly."

"And Cenarius didn't notice anything?" Tyriel asked, revealing how little even she had been informed.

Calen returned to staring down at hmthe desk in front of him, "He claims that Ascal began his training as any other. At some point, a druid is supposed to find his path among the many deities, however, there's no evidence that Ascal ever did this. Cenarius explained the situation to his guardian, a druid by the name of Loganaar, who assured him that he would find that path by his one thousandth, and final, slumber. He says that, once he went to wake him a final time, he was gone."

Kyra shifted her eyes, "Just how close, exactly, was Ascal with his teacher?"

"No closer than any other student, I gathered. Loganaar seems to always be protective of his students, especially those who take longer to find their druidic master. Hamuul testified as much as well. If Loganaar was somehow facilitating Ascal's abandonment, Hamuul would know and would say as much."

Kyra turned to Tyriel, who had been peering at Kyra this entire time, and asked aloud, "So how did he get to Stormwind without help?"

Calen reached up and scratched his chin, "To be honest, we were in the dark for a while longer than we would hope to admit. Given my aunt's lack of cooperation, we hadn't any idea until Hamuul reported the druid missing and we investigated in her place. We weren't aware that Ascal was actually of a rather prodigious talent, perhaps even rivaling his teachers. It's possible he has the ability, already, to shapeshift, even without guidance from Ursoc or the other guardians."

Calen shrugged, "The druids are a rather private enough group, even with Ysera keeping us updated on their goings on. My mother is usually content with that, even if she is rather protective of her sister."

He grinned, "Protecting all life encompasses her siblings, it seems."

Tyriel spoke up, just now turning her head, "So what are we in charge of? Just tracking down this druid?"

"Correct," the man nodded, "We knew he was headed to Stormwind, or at the very least, in this direction. So you should have an easy trail to track down."

Kyra shut her eyes pensively, though it was only to hide her glare at Colin, who was rather distant by now, she figured.

"We dragonkin have an innate sense that makes it known whenever the name of one of our Aspects is brought up in conversation. Using that, we knew where he was headed, though we haven't heard much of anything lately."

Tyriel frowned, "So it seems to me that Ysera is possibly assisting this man, what with her silence and uncooperation."

Sighing aloud, Calen lowered his head with a nod, "Correct, that is a possibility. Given her status, her free will overrides our own, however. Alexatrasza is keeping tabs on her, and if this druid enters the Emerald Dream to speak with her, Cenarius will let us know. With the red dragonflight after him, he'll either be caught, or forced into making a mistake that will eliminate this entire charade; namely, trying to contact my aunt…if that is, indeed, what is going on."

"If it is," he finished, "There's no reason for her not to tell us. I have confidence she is innocent."

Tyriel nodded and turned toward Kyra, "Well lieutenant, do you have any idea of where you'd like to begin?"

Kyra shifted her eyes, "I have a few ideas…"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Colin had been walking with closed eyes for about a half mile now, though he'd removed his hand from his face to help with the task. Ascal simply walked along, seemingly without a care in the world, though he had commented on how he disliked having to point out turns in the road.

The two had made it into Duskwood, their original plan having been foiled. Making their way down to the docks revealed a battalion of night elves, clad in the familiar red robes of Alexstrasza. Ascal, though impressed, went along with Colin's plan to simply leave the city through some of the underground canal paths.

They had conversed little, though Colin was visibly upset, or at the very least, distant. He kept his head down most of the time, though once they'd gotten deep enough into Duskwood, he sighed and began to keep his eyes on their surroundings.

"Once we get to Booty Bay, we'll procure some form of transport," Colin muttered, the two not having established a Plan B yet; Ascal just assumed Colin would lead the way.

"The goblins there usually won't allow patrols or any sort of reconnaissance from the air factions. Bad for business. I'm not sure if they'll aid the Dragonflight though. Not that we have a choice."

He noticed Ascal nodding, but didn't continue speaking, leaving the two back into silence. Their surroundings became progressively darker with every step, leaving Colin with the task of making sure they weren't being sought by some pack of wolves ir some runaway spider. He'd traveled through here only once, and after suffering a poisonous spider bite, he had no intention of ever returning. That stew in Astranaar almost seemed a revenge, if it weren't so bitter.

Ascal didn't ever seem to move his head, which eventually began to annoy Colin as he progressively became more and more agitated by the situation. Eventually, as though simply picking an argument, Colin sighed.

"Don't you ever move your head?!" Colin groaned, "You just stare off into space all the damn time!"

Other than a blink, Ascal remained much the same as he replied, "We druids have fifteen senses. There's sight, smell, beastial tracking, touch, humanoid positioning, auditor-"

"I was asking for an explanation!" Colin seethed, rubbing his face, "Don't you have anything more than a deadpan existence?"

Ascal looked at him, his head still unmoved, "Would it benefit our journey if I told a joke? What if I turned into a kitty and played with a bell?"

Colin frowned at his sarcasm, shaking his head, though Ascal went on emotionlessly, "What do you call ten paladins in a lake?"

Shutting his eyes in preparation of disappointment, Colin remained quiet for a moment until Ascal finished, "A bubble bath."

Colin turned to Ascal, drolly, "I guess you don't socialize much in Moonglade."

"There's no joke when it comes to defending nature," Ascal assured him, with a line that genuinely made Colin grin.

"What is it?" Ascal questioned, though Colin only shrugged, giving no answer.

The two continued on, with Colin feeling a tad better from their little exchange. Still, he kept an eye on the map he always had with him, awaiting the turn to Stranglethorn.

"I have not met many humans," Ascal revealed, "I may not find this arrangement suitable, though I am impressed that you know we are being followed, even without revealing that to the Forsaken pursuing us."

Colin looked at him, "How did you know?"

"You were finding every chance possible to look into windows or mirrors back when we passed through that settlement," Ascal explained.

Sighing, Colin dropped his head, "Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I know who it is."

Ascal looked at him questioningly, "Are they a threat?"

"Well," Colin began, lightly, "They were willing to pay a few thousand gold for my invitations to the King's birthday shindig."

Finally, the night elf's face turned toward him, "You were going to sell them to an assassin?"

Colin shrugged lightly, "I have few loyalties, and none to Stormwind, certainly. I didn't care who bought them; I just took the highest bidder. I'm assuming she is tailing us because she was never given them."

"Why was that?" Ascal questioned, his voice showing some inflection.

"Something came up," Colin answered, "Well, someone, I suppose."

Ascal stared at him for only a moment before returning to his previous statuesque form. Colin's mind went back to Kyra m, and he sighed in regret, but only for so much. He knew why he was doing this to her; so that it could be done for her.

"She shouldn't do anything," Colin surmised, "Not while we're together anyway."

"Of course she's not dangerous," Ascal spoke up, thick with sarcasm, "She only an assassin who has amassed tens of thousands of gold, and is willing to part with much of it for a single kill, most likely."

Colin scratched the back of his head, "Well, I mean, when you put it like that…"

Ascal shook his head disapprovingly, though remained silent as the two went along for a while longer until turning south toward the cape. Colin's mind went to where to dock once the two made it across the sea. They might as well have signed their lives away if they went to Ratchet, such an obvious place. Instead, he knew who was in charge, and the last place she would expect them to go on Kalimdor.

"What do you know of Gadgetzan?" Colin questioned lightly.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Just a mere few yards behind them, a figure walked along, carrying a small wagon behind it. Just underneath the hood that covered the skeletal face rested a pair of fierce eyes, and though her body remained held low, those eyes lay married to the top of her sockets, staring at the two men in front of her.

Her right arm remained hidden within her robes while her other pulled along the wagon, a feature meant for conspicuity, though the blanket atop of it hid a much more sinister collection of weapons, poisons, and a few supplies.

Truly, this was a rather sinister being as well.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Ascal and Colin carefully made their way into Booty Bay, the latter especially so. With every quick around a corner, Colin grew increasingly annoyed by the fact that Ascal seemed so incredibly nonchalant about the entire thing, as though indifferent to the effort Colin was exhibiting. He wasn't sure if this druid was just more omniscient than he was or if he just didn't care.

Regardless, the two mingled into the bustling crowds upon the boardwalk, trying to find a happy medium between hiding and acting natural. Colin was confident that there'd be no help from the local government to find them, though that didn't rule out the possibility that Kyra could be around, especially considering that this would be an obvious point to keep tabs on.

Colin violently yanked Ascal's arm into a small shop, which the druid failed to complain about. Hurrying over toward the orc manning the counter, Colin leaned over, pulling out a few gold coins, which immediately stole the cashier's attention.

"Excuse me, I need a room for the evening," Colin muttered.

The orc's eyes shifted to Ascal, whose arm Colin was still holding, turning back toward Colin with a shrug, "He seems like a keeper, I suppose."

Colin quickly pulled his hand away, blushing, "N-No! We're just catching a boat out to Gadgetzan tomorrow!"

Winking, the orc nodded, "Hey, I'm not one to judge. The world could use more love than war these days. What's the name on the room?"

Groaning, Colin turned to find Ascal had wandered off since being released, forcing Colin to massage his face in frustration before answering the hotel attendant, "Just put it under "Starbreeze" if you may."

The orc chuckled as he wrote, which earned him a forceful stare from Colin as he handed the man the room keys, "Is that what it's called these days?"

After a disapproving shake of his head, Colin left to find Ascal, who had wandered off back out into the main boardwalk. Colin forcefully grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around, shocked at what appeared. Eyes closed, Ascal's face had turned multicolored from the lights being drawn from underneath his eyelids. Colin's eyes stood wide open as a very different voice emerged from Ascal's mouth; a feminine voice that seemed to reverberate into every memory he had in his mind.

"They're here."

Colin quickly turned toward the entrance to the city, up atop one of the wooden scaffoldings that led from Stranglethorn. Sure enough, a group of armored night elves, as well as some red dragonkin counterparts, were headed into the city, though Kyra wasn't seen amongst them.

"Go," the dream-like voice echoed in Colin's mind, "You know what to do."

In a second, Ascal's eyes opened and Colin grabbed his arm again, pulling him back into the hotel and up the stairs toward the rooms, "Come on! There's a ship to Duskwood leaving soon. If we get split up, just turn into a rat or something and meet me there."

Annoyed, Ascal retorted grittily, "There is no rat guardian…"

Colin groaned, "Look, you need to focus on the important things I say."

The two emerged onto the rooftops of this particular level of the city, hurriedly making their way across each building toward the final docks. As easy at it seemed, Colin was sure to expect the unexpected, though that's something nobody can prepare for. As quickly as his mind had gone, Colin tripped and fell down onto the wooden rooftop, hastily trying to grapple onto something, but he only fell down onto the boardwalk below, grasping at his shoulder in pain.

A group of passersby stopped to check on him, but Colin only looked up toward Ascal, who was staring down at him from the roof. Colin rapidly waved his good arm toward the docks, and after a quick nod, Ascal disappeared into a small puff of smoke.

Colin staggered to his feet amidst the pleas of those around him to allow help, but he silently walked on, still clutching his arm, trying unsuccessfully to hide his pained face. The dock came closer into view and he looked over his shoulder to see the group of seekers still near the entrance, judging from the red dragonkin flying over them.

He quickly regained focus and turned back ahead, but in an instant, a mighty blow assaulted his chest, knocking him through an open door and into a small storage shed. The force had knocked him against the back wall of the building, and he painfully keeled over, looking up with a painfully angry look. Immediately, his face melted into surprise, his eyes meeting with Kyra's.

His voice sputtered, but he ultimately couldn't get a word out due to surprise. He didn't move, as Kyra hadn't, and the look on her face was so heated, he almost thought that she may attack him if he moved. In a sense, she did proceed to do as much, as she quickly closed the place between the two, grasping Colin's collar and pulling him down, forcefully, into a kiss.

Just as quick as that had happened, she pushed him back against the wall, staring daggers into his eyes as her voice boiled over, "Talk. And you won't have the element of surprise this time to render me silent."

Colin sighed, still clutching his shoulder, "I cant tell you. Everything I said was the truth."

"Colin! the Dragonflight will kill you!" Kyra shouted, albeit muffled, "He's been insubordinate and may be attempting to corrupt…"

She paused, not wanting to speak the name, but Colin looked at her seriously as though he already knew, "It's a mutual arrangement, okay? I don't know why your people are so upset, but…"

He eyes shifted as though to survey the area, "I spoke to her."

Kyra's eyes went wide, almost at the same speed her fist let go of his collar, allowing him to relax, "I don't know why she's doing what she's doing, but nothing malicious is going on."

"That doesn't matter," Kyra spoke quietly, "She will move heaven and earth to make sure her sister isn't getting into things she shouldn't be."

She lowered her head, sadly. Colin watched the door, but couldn't help but look down upon her, slowly reaching out and hugging her. He could feel her soft skin that had become his entire world just the night before. It's warmth crept into his hands and bowled over his body. He leaned his head down to rest on her own, her soft hair rustling slightly at his touch. For a split second, he nearly lost his goal.

"Just…" she spoken, quietly, "Can you just come back with me? Nobody knows you're involved; just…please… Be with me."

Colin stayed there, silent, for a few moments, just holding his lover, but ultimately knew he had to progress this meeting, "Kyra… I can't."

He felt her shiver, so he held her tighter, "The fact that I'm saying that should explain enough."

His hand clutched her scalp and softly grasped a tuft of her hair, gently running down its length, "I'm doing this for you. I can't say what…but-"

"I'm doing this for you," Kyra interrupted.

Colin chuckled offputtingly, "Why, so that I can be with you without disapproving stares?"

He grasped her shoulders, pushing her away so that he could place a hand onto her cheek, staring into those eyes that could make him weak at any time, "Kyra, I could live a thousand lifetimes worth of being an outcast or being teased or ostracized. I've already lived it, anyway. Whenever you're near me, you're all I notice anyway; I wouldn't have the presence of mind to even notice them."

He rested his forehead gently against hers, grinning, "You have it easy. If anybody sees me with you, I just have to say you're gorgeous to validate that. If somebody asks you why you're with me, I need to give you a better explanation."

Colin leaned down and gave her a kiss, lingering just long enough before she spoke, "You were very attractive when I pushed you in here. Like a caged beast."

Grinning rather nervously, Colin replied, "I think I'm starting to figure out more patterns about you."

He lowered his head, smiling, sticking his hands in his pockets, "When you do your investigation, you're going to find a bunch of clues falsely leading you to Gadgetzan."

Kyra's head shot up to stare at him, shocked, as he went on, "We're going to be in Duskwood, instead, though. If we get into port and you're there…I won't run. I'll know what you want. And that's all I want. If you're not there, I'll move on."

Kyra sighed, her hand reaching up to hold onto her totem, "You'd better get going. I'd hate to catch you like this."

Colin smiled and gave her another quick hug, quickly walking toward the door, leaning out to examine his surroundings, before turning back toward Kyra.

"I love you," he spoke, "And that will never stop."

His words didn't register until he was gone. Kyra sighed, her hand massaging the wooden idol. She shook her head before exiting the room herself, turning the opposite way, back toward the dragonkin she'd brought with her. Whether or not she let him get away with this, she wouldn't simply give it to him.


	6. Chapter 6

Colin stepped onto the boat, calmly, just as it was pulling away from dock. He fell onto a crate near the side of the boat, laying his arm along the bannister that ran down the length of the ship. His eyes closed for but a moment in relaxation before he peered over toward the ship next to them, which was also heading out to sea. He noticed a body kneeling amongst a collection of barrels, her shawl pulled over to cover her body.

Colin grinned, whistling a shrill note across to her, which seemed to catch her attention. Her red eye emerged from under the blanket, and upon realizing what had happened, she threw it off of her and stomped over the side of her boat, seething behind her skeletal jaws.

With a slight wave, Colin gave her a nod, "Have fun in Tanaris!"

She angrily grimaced and turned away, storming off somewhere. Colin couldn't help but laugh until he leaned back, propping his legs up to stretch. Soon enough, a raccoon swayed on over, obviously uncomfortable with the swaying of the vessel. In a puff of smoke, Ascal appeared in his night elf body, his purple face an unmistakable shade of green as he fell onto the edge of the boat, throwing up into the sea, grasping the wooden railing for dear life.

Colin gently massaged his back as he lifted his head up, unenthused, "Bad idea."

Patting the elf's back, Colin laughed once again, "Nah, it's just something you need to get used to. Nothing like a lone orca swimming across the great sea to arouse suspicion."

Ascal shook his head, heavily, "It is my opinion that you enjoy seeing me like this…"

Colin shook his head with a smile, "Well, not anymore, anyway."

The sun had already begun to fall down toward the horizon, so Colin helped Ascal back into the cabin, looking for a private room for the two to stay in, lest they arouse any sort of suspicion. It wasn't a terrible danger, though. Few tourists ever visited Theramore, so this ship was mostly an assemblage of shipmates transporting materials across the ocean; the same sort of people who had known to keep quiet about what goes on at sea.

It didn't take long for Colin to carefully kick open a cracked door into an empty room, more or less dragging the sickened Ascal to a cot in the corner, barely able to lay him down gently enough. Without an explanation, Colin grabbed a nearby bottle of water and poured some onto the man's face, just before vigorously rubbing his hand up and down his face, causing Ascal to wave his arms in defense.

"Trust me, it helps," Colin muttered, more heated, given the arms trying to push away his own.

Ascal stared up at him as the assault ended, "I think you simply wanted to do that…"

Colin shrugged, grinning, "It's decent therapy, too."

Ascal failed to admit that it had worked, but he pushed his way backward so that he could prop his body up against the wall.

"You really can't sleep, huh?"

He shook his head, "I probably could. Only she enters the Dream, but given the retaliation by the other flights, I'd be too apprehensive. She'll talk when she's able."

Colin nodded, pulling a nearby chair over for himself, "Well, the only way I see it, you need to stay awake, so you get to tell a story."

Ascal dryly returned a stare, "I know no tales."

Shrugging, Colin leaned back, "So, tell your own story. I'm assuming something big must've happened for these particular people to want you dead or alive."

Running a sleeve across his face to finish drying off, Ascal groaned, knowing that his tire was growing rapidly, "Fine. You have gotten me this far; I suppose you've earned it. Even if the reason you're here is rather cheap."

Now intrigued, Colin watched Ascal as he sat up, "When druids are first sent to Moonglade, for our first slumber, we are met by Cenarius, who watches over us until a guardian chooses us for their ranks. For example, Malorne may choose a druid he sees promise in to be a Druid of the Antler, or Ursoc for a Druid of the Claw."

He peered off, distantly, "I was not chosen for the longest time. Cenarius claimed that I did indeed have potential, greatly so; however, it was either power not sought by the guardians, or perhaps, it was too much for any of them to put faith in. So I slept, many slumbers. Every time I woke, my teacher, Loganaar, would reassure me, but…"

He trailed off, almost regretfully, a sadness falling upon his face, which was the first hint if emotion Colin had captured of the man, "But I could tell he was disappointed. He must have been. He was the closest I've had to a father, yet I couldn't ever… I couldn't do him proud. There's little you can do within the Dream for someone unwanted, except walk around aimlessly, enveloping your entire being in emerald mists. But for whatever reason, she appeared."

Ascal turned his head upward, memorably, "It wasn't the first time she'd come by, but somewhere around my six hundredth slumber, she looked upon me… It was so cold, like she couldn't bear to know that there was one so worthless as me…but that stare only lasted a moment before she approached me, took my hand, and reassured me that I was meant for great things."

"In the Emerald Dream," he recounted, his eyes closed, "You feel nothing, so that your other senses can heighten. But her hand against mine, it felt…"

His eyes opened, and he turned to Colin, who was listening attentively, though it was that very behavior that Ascal was hoping to ward off, "Never mind. This was a bad idea."

Ascal turned back to himself and pulled up his sleeve, his finger slowly counting the tiny hairs on his arm as though that was an adequate method of passing the time. Colin watched him, almost cringingly by the woefully boring action, but he remained serious as he watched the druid's distant face become stoic once more.

"You fell for her," Colin spoke quietly, forcing Ascal's face to quickly turn to a mild fright.

He slowly turned to look at this human, his face slightly paler, "Y-You think you-"

"Yes, I do," Colin interrupted, lowering his head to hide a smirk, "The same thing happened to me."

He chuckled lightly, waving his hand dismissively, "We're both men, regardless of anything else. We're both solitary men at that, for whatever reason. After so long, the touch of another is almost the same as bread to the hungry. No wonder it broke past that thing about no feeling in the Dream."

Ascal groaned lightly, "I suppose you may have a point."

Colin nodded, "So, go on with your story. Nothing to be embarrassed about; you're not the one whose smelled of another."

Following another droll stare, Ascal lightly rubbed his face before continuing, "Well, druids are given one thousand slumbers to be claimed by a guardian. The closer I came, the more she made sure to keep watch over me. It was nothing abnormal until…"

He sighed, "One slumber, I was approached by the Druids of the Grove, and was sort of undergoing what you could call an interview. In the end, they left without me, but not a moment after, she approached me and apologized before leaving."

"Collusion?" Colin inquired, invested heavily by now.

Ascal sighed roughly, "That's what came to my mind. I was met with one another group, but again, she seemed to ensure that I remained unclaimed. I suppose it could seem as though I was somehow manipulating her into keeping me unaffiliated, but I do not know to what end. Those of us who go unclaimed simply purify moonwells or test the lakes of Kalimdor…"

"In any case, my final slumber approached, though I didn't even manage to see Cenarius that time. I had wound up in a grove I hadn't seen before; it was so much more...mortal than the Dream I knew. I saw trees having died, but coming back to life, I saw builds constructed like the night elf homes I knew were back home. She appeared and told me it was something of her private realm, and that she had a task for me, if I would accept it."

"Much like you," he admitted, "I accepted."

Colin couldn't hide a grin at the irony, "Because you'd fallen for her."

Ascal frowned, "There's more to it than that, but no, you're not incorrect. And yes, I'm forever aware of how idiotic it is."

Colin shrugged lankily, "I don't see how. Sure, she's an Aspect and all, but I mean, I doubt you're the first; people have written songs about their beauty and all. At least you're bound to her by some mission, however esoteric it may be."

Sighing, Ascal leaned his head back against the wall, "And I thought what I'd said was idiotic. At least you made me feel slightly better."

Colin shot him a stare, "Didn't you need to be getting some sleep?"

Ascal shook his head, though the faintest of grins emerged across his mug, "At least I'm able to interact with my muse when I do so."

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Kyra remained at attention as Tyriel politely rapped on the door of Mrs. Gribbs, taking a few steps back so as to not shock whomever was to emerge. With the druid having escaped, through no fault of anyone, it was suggested that his last known staging point was reexamined, that being Old Town. Given Kyra's recent rise in rank, her proximity to this location was not brought up, though she felt a bit uncomfortable when the topic arose.

Tyriel tiredly rubbed her eyes in wait, not moving until the faint sound of footsteps hobbled toward the other side of the door, shortly turning into the frail frame of Mrs. Gribbs, staring suspiciously up at her visitor.

"Good day, mada-"

"Save it fer those Cathedral District high dressers!" shouted the old woman immediately.

Kyra lowered her head to hide her quiet laughter, though Tyriel was rather taken aback, "Ma-Ma'am?"

The elderly woman waved her arm in the air, "Nothin'. What'ya want? Were you responsible fer tha ruckus yesterday right outside my home?"

"N-Not directly, no," Tyriel stammered in reply, more shocked by this woman's brazen attitude, "But we would like to go over that room you have down there; we believe it may have inadvertently housed a fugitive."

Mrs. Gribbs caught a faint glimpse of Kyra down in the lane with a blank look on her face. She watched Tyriel carefully for a moment before groaning.

"Alright, I s'pose. It's just my little storage room; I don't know why anybody'd camp out in there. What with tha spiders 'n rats 'n such."

She grasped a nearby key and handed it to the elder night elf, who nodded in thanks as Kyra approached to do the same.

"We won't be long," Tyriel assured, resigning to a hurried walk so as to avoid much further dialogue with the woman.

Mrs. Gribbs grinned at Kyra with a wink, "I didn't get this far without skirtin' authority, my dear."

Kyra smiled at her, leaning over toward her, "Is that why you lied?"

The lady shrugged, "That boy's done plenty enough for an old bag. Least I can do when odd people come knockin' 'round."

Kyra grinned again and shook her hand before joining Tyriel, who'd had a tough time getting the door open. At some point it seemed as though the lock had been messed with, and Tyriel had an odd suspicion that the old lady wasn't exactly guiltless, though with her attitude, Tyriel might have let her go even if she had been a suspect.

"Alright," Tyriel spoke up as she entered the dark hovel, her eyes adjusting to the darkness that remained outside the stream of sunlight from the small window above, "Be extra cautious of any information. I can't say I exactly trust that woman."

Kyra nodded, immediately recognizing Colin's home. Her eyes had already known the darkness here, and had memorized the tracks in the floor for walking, even in her short time here. Despite her wanting to just look around with nostalgia, she did as she's been assigned and began pulling up notebooks and whatever she could find, trying to find some clue as to where this druid was going.

Despite her assignment, Kyra knew she was basically rummaging through Colin's stuff, which only slightly made her feel nosy; she was hoping to find answers, in some capacity, and perhaps such things were simply payback for his secrecy.

Regardless, she picked up a notepad, flipping through the pages. Most pages were just lists, like he kept during his adventures; things he needed to pick up while shopping, places he needed to go, vacation spots that, even on the page, he admitted he couldn't ever make it to, a list of ways he'd gained favor with the Timbermaw furbolgs, with a proud proclamation written below the list, "They do love me in that tunnel!".

Kyra grinned at the childish notations, careful not to be spotted by her superior. She continued on; these were all things he had done before leaving on that last adventure. She flipped through more pages when, suddenly, an ugly drawing of a dead orc came into view, forcing Kyra's eyes wide in surprise. Though, her shock came from the fact that she recognized what had been drawn.

She continued flipping, and the same picture was repeated again and again, with more grotesque detail each time. The orc had been impaled on a sword that faded out of the picture, and the face of the victim was twisted in more sorrow than pain.

Having flipped through the entire book, she grabbed another, then another, and then one more. Each one contained the same drawing done over and over again; sometimes with other people in similar distress. One notebook had the scene repeated under the easily recognized walls of Theramore, in a scene that Kyra assumed had been the raid Colin had witnessed as a child.

She picked up another notepad, this one having been stored in a more prominent location than the rest. Sure enough, it began with the same portrait of Colin's slaying of the orc from a year ago, Kyra's eyes growing more pained with every viewing of the scene. Flipping through, suddenly, it changed to a new drawing.

It was Kyra.

Her eyes squinted at the rough sketch of her as she must have been that night she had embraced Colin in that lake near Astranaar. Furious at Elune, he had run off to scratch her mark from his face, though he only succeeded in nearly scarring his skin. In the moment, Kyra had to think little to act, but now that she had recalled the event, she knew why she had done so. Why she had promised be Colin's moonlight; his beacon of Elune.

She had been in that very situation before. And it broke her heart to see it happen to somebody else. Somebody she was growing to care so deeply for.

In the middle of her thoughts, she flipped the page to find another course drawing of her, though it wasn't of any occasion she could remember. Just a drawn portrait of her sitting against a Teldrassilian tree, her leg brought up to her chest, held by her arm as she stared off into the distance. Her hand reached up and traced down her cheek at the same speed her eyes followed the line he had drawn.

She peeked beyond the notepad to the others still stored all over the room. Coming home, he was haunted by what had occurred, and in his self therapy, he drew the scene again and again and again, trying desperately to erase it from his mind. Suddenly, though, it seems that his fleeting dreams of Kyra had become his guardian project.

Her breath shook with the realization, and she jumped instantly as Tyriel's voice broke the air, "Small, small world."

Kyra turned to see her superior hunched over a countertop strewn with various knick-knacks, her face serious as she continued, "You didn't expect me to not find out, did you?"

She lowered her head in shame as Tyriel turned to her, speaking slowly, "This is that Colin boy's home, isn't it?"

Kyra looked up to see a mischievous grin on her face, which quickly turned her own shame to curiosity, although it immediately reverted once more as Tyriel raised up a sheet of paper with a drawing on it, "There's only one man on Azeroth who could have seen this and live to document it in such a way."

Blushing heavily, Kyra hastily walked up and snatched the naked sketch of herself from Tyriel's hand, turning and hiding it amongst the strewn sketchbooks on the table. Her elder chuckled lightly at the sight, hiding her own small hint of embarrassment.

"Don't forget that the Dragonflight is not omnipotent, but I might as well be," Tyriel assured with a grin, "At least when it comes to you, dear. You couldn't leave for Stormwind soon enough when this assignment came up."

Kyra had hidden the thin sheet of paper in a notebook somewhere and continued organizing, hiding her face as she replied, "So are you going to recommend I step down or something?"

Tyriel shrugged, "The way I see it, this is Colin's home, correct? I don't think he's the type of person to lie, so he may not have even known he was helping aid your druid. You didn't mention it until later, didn't you?"

Kyra shook her head, "No, but… I guess I should have. But it sounded like it wouldn't have mattered even if he'd known. He's got his heart set on this. He said it's…for me."

"Really?" Tyriel questioned, innocently.

Sighing heavily, Kyra took a seat and buried her face in her hands, "I trust him."

"Do you trust me?"

She looked up at her superior, though she might as well have been her mother. Kyra had always been closer to her father, and by the time she was embedded in the life of a Sentinel, Tyriel had become very close to her. In many ways, she was closer to her than anybody else, which would explain how easily her cards were able to be read by her, despite being held as close to her chest as possible.

"Of course," Kyra replied, slowly, "But I have a duty to my sister, and to the other Silverwings. To my name and my family. We're still seen by some as lesser than others; it's my duty to attain-"

"It's no one's duty," Tyriel scolded, "What's in the past is meant to stay there. Considering what your father escaped from, your family is no different than any other, and in fact, considering your father's bravery, you may should be regarded higher than you are. How many times do I need to remind you of-"

She stared coolly at her subordinate, whose head sunk lower upon realizing her quiet stare, "Unless you're wanting status for something else…"

Kyra felt a foot tall sitting there, but immediately recovered as she felt Tyriel's warm hand upon her shoulder. She look up to see her soft face, worn from many more years of years than hers. She had been so much like a teacher to her for most of her life, and even now, with the prospect of the two having opposing interests, it may have frightened her, but Kyra couldn't help but follow this woman wherever her advice guided her.

She hadn't ever steered her wrong before.


	7. Chapter 7

Colin had agreed to stay up and help Ascal do the same, however, while the night before had resulted in quite the peaceful sleep, the activities that earned it, as well as the activities throughout the following day, had still managed to take their toll on his body. He gave a valiant effort, but between the silence and the soothing sways of the boat, he couldn't help but succumb.

Ascal noticed him nodding off, but didn't mention it. He simply resorted to the same methods he had used to stay awake before, though, for the most part, he'd been walking constantly; now he was sitting on a bed. He caught himself whenever his eyelids began to sink past his glowing orbs and he would rub his face or pull out a whisker or something.

He turned to see Colin leaning back against the wall, his head resting against a beam and his shoulder, out like a light. He had fallen asleep quickly enough, and his dreams began almost immediately. He was back in Stormwind somewhere, he saw Kyra, and even Mrs. Gribbs, oddly enough. His face visibly cringed for a second at the thought, but then he saw Tyriel there; at least however she appeared a year earlier. Suddenly, he recalled pictures he had seen of Ysera; the Dragon Aspect.

Suddenly, he noticed that it was not a dream he was seeing. An emerald shimmer had shone into his closed eyes and had woken him, but only barely. It was as though he had been woken into a half-state of being awake and still dreaming. The only thing that convinced him was that he wouldn't ever dream of something as drab as this cabin.

His eyes slowly opened, and he found the source of the green light. Upon the bed sat a night elf, though it certainly was not Ascal. Colin's eyes shot wide as he noticed the horns protruding from this being's head, a crescent moon crown adorning its head, and emerald hair flowing down their body. It was unmistakable, and while Colin had been shocked at hearing her voice, he was downright frightened by seeing her in person.

He quickly scurried back, but Ysera raised her hand and stopped him, his body responding against his will as her voice panged out through the air, "Don't be frightened, human."

A giant pressure came upon Colin's chest as he sat on the wooden floor, as though sleep paralysis had come over him. He took a closer look at her; it was as though she had just taken the form of Ascal. She was sitting cross-legged, leaning against the wall with a heavy blanket wrapped around her shoulders, covering most of her pink skin. Her eyes glowed, but against the green marks that ran up and down both sides of her face, her eyes seemed massive.

"You're so dismissive of my mother," she spoke, a hint of humor spicing her words, "Yet seeing me frightens you so."

Colin felt the immediate need to retort respectfully, but his mind only replied with, "No offense, but I've never been in a situation where Elune could easily kill me."

Bowing her head slightly, Ysera grinned, a rather dainty hand reaching up to cover her face, "Yes, I suppose that's true. Though, we're in more a dream than anything, now. Were I to harm you now, it'd be but a nightmare."

"That's…reassuring…" Colin muttered, unsurely, which evoked another grin from this being.

"You know, we assume humanoid forms to become less frightening, not more," she explained.

Colin nodded, "I understand; it's just… I mean, I've never encountered a, uh, an…"

"You can say it here," Ysera assured, "Nobody can hear."

"Uh, an Aspect," Colin continued, "Much less Ysera. I'm but a human; I figured I'd meet Alexstrasza well before meeting any other. Well, maybe Thrall, but that's more of a technicality for the time being…."

Ysera smiled as she lowered her head, "You seemed so much less nervous through the Emerald Dream."

Colin scratched his face, "I, uh, well…"

She chuckled lightly, "We also assume these forms to familiarize ourselves with mortal beings' thinking. And, I suppose, to feel more close to your people. Believe it or not, it can be boring living as a dragonkin, going on and on about politics."

She turned her head away, peering out the porthole in the wall, "Words cannot express how happy I am to have been placed in charge of solitude."

Colin watched her distant face, rather ashamedly, as this was nearly a god, "You much prefer to interact with individuals instead, I gather."

Her eyes shot toward him alongside a smile, "And you're bright. Nothing less for Shadowmoon, I see."

"So you know Kyra?"

Ysera nodded, "Of course. Considering her beginnings, it's difficult to ignore how large her reputation has grown upon Teldrassil. Even the Cenarion Circle had plans of assuming her into their ranks."

Colin nodded, rather surprised at her renown, "Wow."

"Indeed," she replied, "But I noticed her due to something rather different."

Ysera's legs came untangled and carried themselves toward the edge of the bed, allowing herself to stand up, leaving the blanket behind. Colin was mesmerized by her appearance, rather shocked that, behind this body, lie a dragon. She was taller than he'd thought, and as her face stared at him so seriously, he became guarded once again.

"Come toward me," she whispered.

Without ordering his muscles, Colin brought his body around and began crawling toward her, stopping at her feet before hand rose up, bring his body up to his feet as well. He was shocked now, standing face to face to Ysera, of all beings, and his eyes revealed it rather easily. Her hands rose up and gently held his neck, though her thumbs reached up to hold his jaw.

She slowly turned his head to her left, her eyes beginning to shimmer with rainbows as the came to see his cheek; the same one where Elune's handprint has resided. Quickly enough, Colin made the connection, though it didn't unfaze him any faster.

She whispered in a language Colin hadn't heard before, though he caught some ancient Darnassian in passing. While concentrating, he didn't notice her face closing in on him until he felt a smooth strand of warm air hitting his face from her nose, causing him to jump.

"My apologies," she assured, without letting go, "This is certainly…mother…"

Her eyes began to return to normal as she let go of Colin's face, allowing him to take a step back, rather uncomfortable with the proximity. Ysera eyed him carefully, deep in thought.

"Human," she began, quietly, "No. Colin Dumerval. I have believed since that mark has been left upon your cheek that my mother has meant to assure me of your assistance. The fact that you're here, with this druid, must guarantee it."

Now Colin stared up at her, "Can you give immortality?"

"No, but my sister can."

Colin frowned, "Wait, the one who's trying to hunt us down and kill us?"

Ysera grinned once more, almost amusedly, "You love Shadowmoon don't you?"

He lowered his eyes, skeptically, "That's all this is about, isn't it?"

Ysera, rather ashamedly, turned away, holding her small hand up to examine her skin it seemed, "For many years…I've been unsatisfied with my existence. That's not to say that my existence, in itself, is unsatisfactory, however, I see the beings of Azeroth and I…"

She paused, but only slightly, "I envy them."

Colin watched her carefully as she continued, "I see my relatives fall into corruption. I see them doing things I would not wish on my enemies. Surely, mortals fall into the same things, yet with so little life they manage to do so much. Sometimes I feel as though I would appreciate my existence were I to know how much of it I had left."

After a darkly ominous tone, Ysera turned to look at Colin, "And I see you, and what things you will do for other beings, one in particular, that none of my relatives would ever do. We do things because we're bound to do so by the Titans, and yet, here you are… Stowing away, evading possible death by an Aspect, just to spend however much life with this other being."

She lowered her head, "I said we assume mortal forms to become less frightening. I often wonder if we do so only to feel more mortal than dragonkin. I see my children, my family, and feel nothing for them. Why should I? They'll be there any time they're called upon."

Colin spoke up quietly, "Ironically, most of us would easily trade places with you. I suppose the grass is always…"

He caught a glimpse of her being, which was encased upon many layers of emeralds and greens, so he only finished with, "Well, you know."

Ysera smiled, "Yes, I do. Ascal here has been incredibly kind to allow me to view life through his eyes. It's been…unique to spend time alongside a being who…"

She seemed to have trouble finding the words that eluded her, so Colin cleared his throat, "Uh, is infatuated with you?"

Her eyes squinted slightly in thought, "…yes, I suppose that is what it is. It's very new; even Eranikas, my consort, he and I spoke so few times, I nary remember his voice. It's rather odd hearing Ascal's so often."

Colin remained silent as she shrugged to herself, stepping back toward the bed, "It seems my sister has sent Nozdormu to check up on me this time. I apologize that our time together couldn't have been longer."

He shook his head, but before he could talk, Ysera finished, "You're much more interesting in person."

Colin's mouth was left open, his words quickly unable to find themselves. Suddenly, his legs fell out from under him and he landed backwards, his hand just gently tapping against the ground, waking him up in a split second.

He looked around to see the cabin around him. Even Ascal was there, still sleeping with the blanket around him as Ysera had worn. He hurriedly stood and rushed over, shaking Ascal awake, which was a split second process as well, the night elf immediately staring up at Colin, terrified.

"Don't worry, we weren't spotted," Colin sighed, falling onto the cot beside him, rubbing the sleep from his own face, "She said as much."

Ascal stared at him, confused, "She?"

Colin looked up at him, grinning as he nodded, "Yes."

Suddenly looking around the room, almost in a daze, Ascal held his face, quickly jumping to his feet, "I'm gonna be sick…"

He rushed through the cabin door and hurried to the side of the side, throwing up into the ocean, exhaustedly. Colin came from behind him and patted his back. It took awhile for Ascal to recover, but soon enough, he lifted his head.

"I can assume bats, falcons, and bears. Aspects are a bit harder," he concluded, his face a true shade of green.

Colin grinned, "Well, I mean, it was only like a few minutes or so."

Ascal shook his head, "No. The time in the Dream last but a-"

"Land ho!" shouted the sailor atop the sails, looking off into the horizon.

Colin, shocked, looked up to, indeed, notice shoreline. Ascal did the same, but immediately returned to hanging off the side of the vessel, holding his head which ached mightily. Colin then realized that he felt amazingly rested; the trip was to take three days. Had he been asleep for two days?

He pondered that fact as the ship moved closer to the unmistakable outline of Mighty Theramore, as it was called by the locals. It certainly looked it, even from this distance. Despite its imposing appearance, Colin was quickly assaulted with the same sort of internal dealings that Ascal had been dealing with, and he inevitably pulled his own body over the railing, joining Ascal.

The night elf turned his head laboriously, the two's eyes meeting alongside the ship, leading to a light laugh between the two.

"I'm assuming it's not related to assuming the form of another," Ascal muttered as he lifted himself back up.

Colin shook his head, "Not quite. Though, given the arms and other limbs I've seen cut off here, I suppose one could very well assume the form of another."

Ascal stared at him unamused, though Colin smirked, "It was only a joke."

The elf nodded slowly as he turned toward the city, with Colin joining him, though with a less enthused tone than before, "Hey, uh, there may be somebody here to take us into custody. Just saying."

Ascal slowly lowered his head, as though already resigned to the distasteful fact that this human had his life in his hands, "To be honest, as soon as I saw you, I knew you could very well be my demise."

With a nervousness reserved for generals, Colin laughed lightly as he stared toward the harbor, "Don't worry; I'm sure she'd allow us to go-"

Ascal's eyes shut upon his words being cut off. He slowly lifted himself up and rubbed his eyes before carefully smoothing out his robes as though to present himself, his face emotionless the entire time.

"I mean, maybe it's… No, it's her," Colin sighed, noticing Kyra standing there, alone, on the docks, "Honestly, I didn't expect this."

He turned silently toward Ascal, "Sorry."

The druid shook his head rather solemnly, "My Lady entrusted my fate to you. Regardless of how little I trust you, I trust her with my life, and I do mean that literally."

Colin couldn't help but smile at the man's devotion, albeit grimly, and he pulled his backpack up over his shoulder, "Well, normally I'd advocate a daring escape, but I promised her that we'd turn ourselves in."

Ascal stared at him, drolly, "You really are terrible at this…"

Colin lowered his head with a glib smirk as the two began their way down off the ship. As soon as they turned toward the ramp that would lead them down, Kyra's face was there, a seriousness that Colin hadn't seen before. He only looked for a moment, and like a child haven been caught stealing, he felt a sense of childlike shame. Ascal seemed as emotionless as usual, though Colin had watched him walk long enough to notice an unsure gait to his step.

They walked the ramp and stopped in front of the amethyst-haired soldier, her eyes staring more past the two of them than at them. Colin dropped his knapsack to the ground, staring down, though Ascal stared, rather proudly, up toward the towered buildings of Theramore.

"Well, I wish I could say you were an easy man to find," Kyra spoke blankly to Ascal.

He stared back at her, unamused, "I had more baggage than a bag, it seems."

Kyra looked at Colin, who was visibly downtrodden by the comment, and she slowly grinned, her hand reaching up to take his shoulder. Ascal watched her, surprised, but Colin hadn't seen her face and simply thought she was apprehending him. Slowly, her hand ran down toward his chest, stopping at the bump in his robes that belonged to his wooden figure.

Thinking, he began to look up, seeing Kyra's smiling face, though tears had now accompanied her dark face. Colin quickly reached out to take her balled-up hand, though could only take her wrist as her hand opened up, her own totem falling and dangling at her side.

"D'ana'no diel Ishura T'as'e," she spoke through a choked up voice as Colin pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Alor'el adore," Colin quickly replied, burying his face into her hair.

Ascal watched the two threw unimpressed eyes, nearly scoffing, "How old are you two?"

Colin chuckled at the thought, though didn't bother separating from his lover. They held each other until Ascal visibly became impatient, and even then, Kyra was sure to keep her hand wrapped around Colin's.

"If I'm going to do this, I need to know that you're by my side," Kyra confirmed, "No matter what may happen."

Colin answered her simply, with a smile, and the two began walking toward Theramore, where Ascal had already started.

"They've bought your Gadgetzan story," Kyra confirmed, "So if you two need rest, we can afford a night here. We're not up against a deadline, are we?"

Ascal shook his head, "Not that I'm aware of."

"Good," Kyra nodded, 'If I'm going to be abedding a fugitive, I'm going to find out more about him."

The druid's head fell backward in frustration, but Kyra was quick to retort, "It'll be over ale, of course."

To that, Ascal's ears perked.


	8. Chapter 8

Ascal stumbled out from the tavern, nearly tripping on his own legs, his "fool proof" plan having failed. Apparently, as smaller animals metabolize quicker, he would occasionally escape to the bathroom, turn into a raccoon or something, desperately hold onto something as the alcohol played jump rope with his mind, though only for a few minutes, before returning to his night elf form. While brilliant on paper, in practice, the residual effects remained, and he still found himself too tipsy to stand straight.

Surprisingly, he was just as deadpan drunk as he was sober, and even amidst his drunken stupor, his face offered little emotion. Where his face lacked movement, however, his body moved wildly, mostly for balance, and upon standing to leave, Colin had to quickly tuck a tail he had grown for such a reason. Night elves, and especially druids, weren't exactly common amongst the dwarves and Kirin Tor here.

Colin swiftly caught Ascal's body before it fell forward, and he groaned at the weight he had taken twice now. Ascal must have drunkenly noticed, as he quickly became a mid-sized nightsaber, allowing Colin to cradle the man in his arms.

"He makes a good pet, I assure you," Colin grinned to Kyra.

"Well you can't keep him," she joked in kind, and the two easily noticed the rolling eyes of the cat.

Kyra and Colin had been much more careful in their consumption. Ascal had gone months, now, without indulgences, and so he took advantage, though the others had been fed and had drank, so their need was fleeting.

"I'll go on to the inn if you want to explore," Colin explained, "I'd hate to keep you."

Kyra wrapped her arms around his own, leaning in close to him, "Why not show me your home. Together."

Colin sighed, "I wouldn't exactly call it "home". Sure, I grew up here, but it's not as though I left under happy circumstances. Even now, I can look around and remember terrible scenes and images; which I guess comes with such a visual memory."

"The same visual memory that won me over because of your art," Kyra confirmed, quietly, "I'll be here to help you. You don't have to walk these streets alone."

Twisting his lips in thought, Colin acquiesced, carefully leaving Ascal in the care of the stable master; a suitably humorous place for the druid, Colin thought. With that, he took Kyra's hand and the two walked quietly among the cobblestone streets of the island.

"Well, it was meant to resemble the cities of Lorderon, but even as a kid, I thought it was the other way around," Colin explained, "Believe me, there's certainly a lot of pride here. If it's not pride that they were smart enough to leave the Eastern Kingdoms before the Scourge, it's that they bested enough armies that even the Horde came to respect them. I wasn't exactly in that mess. Pride isn't exactly a word one can use to describe me."

Kyra walked in step with him, slowly, speaking up lightly, "You're so much more aware of the world around you than most people are. That's a very elven trait, actually. I admire that about you."

"You seem just as aware," Colin admitted.

"Living so long on Teldrassil, I never had a chance to appreciate the world."

"Now here you are," Colin grinned, "Exploring the world in hiding."

She shrugged, "I know you have good reason. Whatever it is, I trust you. The same way I trust Tyriel. She sat me down and told me how her life had been wasted chasing titles that matter little. If I love you, and I do, I need to cherish these few years I have with you."

Colin smiled at her, "After this adventure, we'll have plenty of time to cherish."

They walked along the lanes of the city, crossing alleyways and small homes. Even in silence, Kyra walked in enjoyment, alongside her lover, along the streets of his childhood, the same he had done with her.

The moon had begun to reappear by this night, just seeking through its dark side and the clouds. It lit up the streets, but Colin still only noticed the small bit of light showing at his side, those of Kyra's eyes.

"Teenage me would be so jealous seeing me walking a beautiful night elf woman down this street," Colin spoke up offhandedly, giving Kyra reason to hide a smile.

Kyra replied, "I'm sure teenage you would have won me over just the same."

Colin shrugged, "I don't know; I wasn't exactly like how I am now. This was still my phase of helping people that didn't exactly deserve it. Like, uh…"

He looked around, zeroing in on a blacksmith down the next street over, "Like there, I spent an entire weekend trying to fix up a friends' shield. I thought we were friends, anyway; he was desperate and needed it by Monday, but was busy, so of course, I suffered cuts, bruises, and burns for him. Next time I needed something from him, he wasn't around."

Smiling a tad disenchantingly, Colin's head tilted alongside a shrug, "And that marketplace over there; that's where I was told to sit until midnight because Christa Roberts was supposed to confess to me. Of course, before the storm rolled in."

Kyra smiled at him, "But I love how kind you are."

"I didn't say I'd ever stop being kind," he smiled, turning to his companion, "I gave pretty much everything for the wrong people, simply because I didn't know much better. So imagine what all I'll do for the right person."

Kyra lowered her head onto his shoulder, her arm reaching across her body to hold onto his, "You have a way with words; not just drawing."

"I suppose so. It's not as if-"

He paused, stopping in his tracks as they came to an intersection. He turned and stared down the new street, his face growing emotionless, "Huh, I didn't even notice."

"Notice what?"

"My home was down there."

Kyra followed his stare, not exactly noticing that she was pulling him ever so slightly in that direction, "Come on."

After a heavy sigh, Colin dramatically lowered his head, "There are far more interesting thi-"

"I've never been more excited," Kyra smiled, though she just now noticed her tug, and how great his resistance was.

"You want me to take you into my home, and all I want is to take you into my arms," Colin muttered, "Is that not enough?"

Kyra watched him skeptically, his words biting the air around him, "Is it truly that bad?"

As though wanting to avoid the answer, Colin acquiesced, taking the smallest of steps down the street into Kyra's pull. As they slowly made their way down, Colin was completely quiet, gingerly examining his surroundings without moving his head much. His eyes were shifting left and right quickly, suddenly stopping at the two hands that were holding onto his arm.

Suddenly, he stopped, turning toward an abandoned shack of a building. He watched it for a moment, absently, his breaths starting to take longer to take.

"They tore the trees down," he spoke quietly.

Kyra quickly realized where they were, and she slowly pulled away from Colin, not thinking he'd be willing to advance further. She stepped carefully into the small patch of dead grass that served as a yard, approaching the shantied wall of cobblestone. It had been built, destroyed, and rebuilt, almost as though with the exact same materials, and was now crumbling under its own weight.

Her hand reached up to touch it, though she pulled away quickly as she heard the sound of falling rocks from behind it. She watched the cobblestones carefully, and jumped in shock as she felt Colin behind her.

"We rebuilt it once," he explained, "That same storm from before tore it down, so we had to peddle for the cement to bind all the stones. Very hungry summer, I remember."

He shrugged dismissively, "The second time it came down, I never came back. It seems that another poor family had tried putting it back together."

Kyra felt a chill as Colin stepped toward the doorframe, absent a door, and she quietly followed behind him, making sure to keep an eye on him and his emotions. He remained as neutral as he had been, simply looking everything over as he stood in the one room behind the frame. Kyra saw the small outcropping that seemed to be where sleeping took place, and there was a dug-out hole in the center of the room for a fire pit.

Baffled by the sight, Kyra failed to move much, though she carefully examined the hovel. It wasn't much different from his home in Stormwind in terms of size, but while there was a warmth to his home, standing in here, Kyra felt as though the air around her was suffering.

She lifted her head and was rather shocked to find starlight finding its way in. Granted, the roof was in shambles, but the heavens looked so beautiful in comparison to this place. She gently pulled Colin over to her and pointed up, finally garnering a response from him.

"Wow," he whispered.

Kyra nodded in reply, not moving as he continued, "You know, I never looked up at the stars and the moon until I met you. Maybe that's why I never dreamed of much else than what I knew here. Of course, as soon as I notice, I have somebody whose presence is the last thing I want to look away from."

He smiled mildly at his observation before sighing, finding a small stoned nook that had been built to sit pots and pans on, taking a seat. He looked around again, slowly, taking in his surroundings.

Kyra watched him as he did so, stepping toward him, "There's no other place to sit. I guess that means you can make good on your offer."

Colin lowered his head with a grin before reaching out to grab her arm, pulling her down onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her. She sat sideways, so she lowered her head to rest upon his shoulder, slightly nuzzling his neck.

"Well, I can't say I gained much from coming back," he admitted, "But it's nostalgic to see it again, if anything else."

In quiet reply, Kyra began, "I gained a lot. I learned a lot about why you're so kind, so humble. Why I love you so much."

Colin's eyes shut as he listened to her, "You're the right one."

He turned to see her eyes peering up at him. They looked just like the sky above them; so full of stars, seemingly surrounded by moonlight. She always looked so beautiful to him; her pinkish skin surrounding blue star-lit eyes; it was always a challenge to see past them at night, but the more his eyes adjusted to hers in the darkness, the more he felt at one with her.

He stared into her eyes, now faintly able to read the face beneath. She was holding a contented face, filled with a hint of longing. By now, Colin knew she could have been longing for anything, but he knew so instinctively the one thing she needed now more than anything else.

He lowered his head and kissed her, their eyes remaining open, both pairs shaking as their lips began to dance with one other. Finally, almost simultaneously, their eyes shut, forcing the two to see with their touches, and right now, their lips were alight.

Given Kyra's precarious position, Colin held her body on his lap, giving her free reign to do whatever she could with her own hands. She reached up and held onto the sides of his face as she began to attack his lips, days' worth of frustration having been built, as well as that feral instinct she'd had in her mind. She remembered that trapped, dangerous look on Colin's face back in Booty Bay; a face that meant he'd kill to survive if he had to. Simply recalling it led to a shiver down her spine.

Feeling his arms tighten around her waist, Kyra lost herself even more, and her hands inadvertently shot up his head, running gently through his soft hair, though her lips never quit their activity. As Colin leaned back against the wall, she desperately followed along, without noticing that, with this leverage, Colin no longer held her waist.

In one motion, their lips came apart and a substantial yelp jumped from her lungs and out her mouth, and she quickly looked down at his hand having run up underneath her armor, grasping ever so gently around her breast. Her eyes lifted up to watch his expression without her head moving, and Colin watched her intently, his hand going unmoved. It was as though the two were playing chicken, and in a second, Colin's fingers clasped her nipple, causing her to jump in shock, releasing another yelp.

Colin grinned at her reaction, leaning in to kiss her neck, but her hands immediately returned to his face, pushing him away so that her lips could return to his. Colin's hand ran down into the valley of her chest, though he stopped as his hand cupped something else. His lips pulled away ever so gently as he held her totem beneath her clothing. He played with it as their eyes stared into one another.

"We really don't need to do this here," Colin muttered.

Kyra's eyes shook violently, as though unable to stop, "I'd be prepared to do this in the middle of the temple of Atal'Hakkar at this point."

Colin stared at her, suddenly frightened by her urges, though in a second he remembered how good of a trait it was, despite his hang-ups about where they were presently. Instead, he grinned and allowed her to continue, her lips raining kisses up and down his neck as he'd lifted his head up to escape, only to speak.

"I thought you said night elves didn't lust like humans do," he grinned, glibly.

Between kisses, she spoke, "I love you… All I want…is to worship you…the same way you…worship me."

She stopped for a breather, "It doesn't hurt that it's exciting to think that this may be our final time together like this."

"And not scary?" Colin muttered.

"Incredibly scary," Kyra admitted, holding his head against her own, "But I would rather love you than sit around worrying."

As she continued, Colin leaned his head down to help her into the nape of his neck, his hand having left her necklace to grasp at her breasts again, alternating between the two as her moans managed to escape.

Suddenly, her leg managed to fall from his own, and as she realized her foot was on the ground, she quickly used it push Colin down, gently, onto the rest of this small seating area, her body resting on top of his as he stared up at her, surprised. Her hands quickly managed to grasp the bottom of his shirt, and like a beast hunting for food, she forcefully pulled it up toward his head, her face now burying into his chest as she blindly removed his shirt.

Now Colin began to ceasefully gasp. The humidity of Duskwood had long been oppressive, but now the air only served to intoxicate him further, especially given his halted form of breathing. Kyra quickly made her way down his body, not exactly admiring it as she so beautifully explained earlier. She was twisted into a form longing for release, and she knew where to attain such things.

She forcefully grasped around the waistline of his pants, pulling them down quickly, only pausing as his member came into view. Almost mesmerized, she looked up at his face, reddened and animated through his labored breaths. Though now without clothes, it did little to cool him off.

Kyra lowered her body exquisitely, as though using anticipation as a weapon she knew well, playfully digging into her lover's side. However, her weapon of choice, now, was still her lips, and as she came close to him, kissing gently as him, forcing him to jump from the sensation. Colin's arms drew up above his head, clutching onto the edge of the bar in preparation for the torrential pleasure he knew has was about to endure. Sure enough, Kyra made her attack, and his only counter was to pull his body away, only so much, as his arms tensed up.

He gasped lightly as her lips took him in, her hand having a gentle hold of his shaft. There she stayed, her eyes opening into lustful little lights, hiding a grin around his penis as she watched his painfully pleasured face. Finally, she began, her head elegantly bobbing up and down, her lips becoming her means to care for her lover.

She focused so intently on her movement that she hardly noticed the hand grasping a gently tuft of her hair. She peeked up to watch him squirm, though his hand remained at her head, softly stroking her head or entangling his fingers around her hair so that he could slowly pull them down the length.

Colin began to shiver, and he tried his best to lift his head to watch Kyra down below. Given where he was laying, it was mightily uncomfortable, and the rough concrete only served to irritate his skin at any point of movement. The pangs of pleasure overrode most everything else however, especially once Kyra's face lit up, her eyes meeting with Colin's.

Like the rush of adrenaline that comes during a chase around a port city, Colin's mind flushed with blankening whiteness as he reached his peak; his whole body tensing up as Kyra calmly accepted him. While it felt to Colin as though it had lasted for an hour, his wave of pleasure subsided rather quickly, due to the shaking of his body rubbing up against the concrete beneath.

His muscles already began to ache as Kyra carefully cleaned him up with her lips and tongue, rather happily at what all she had accomplished. She had watched him shiver afterwards, grinning happily that she had brought him to such a level. Colin slowly raised his body up, rubbing his back as he turned to examine his former platform.

"That's not a bed, dear," he seethed as he massaged the welts on his back.

Kyra smiled as he continued fawning over his member as though it were a pet of hers, "I guess you cant complain while I have you caught in this way."

He chuckled lightly as he watched her press on, his body clearly ready for another round as well. He quickly grasped under her arms and pulled her up to her feet before he hopped off the concrete bar, his hands beginning to explore her body now.

"We certainly can't have such smooth skin against such a thing," Colin opined, smirking, "What to do… What to do…"

During their previous act, Colin had managed a glimpse of Kyra's arm moving down around her nethers, and he figured she had removed her own undergarments to join in. On a hunch, he grasped around her thighs and lifted her up, pressing her body against the wall as his face looked up at her.

She mused, lovingly, at the gesture, and her arms wrapped around Colin's neck, "I like the way you think, Dumerval."

Colin grinned boyishly at her words as she pulled her face down to find his lips once more. To help, Colin lowered her, though it also served the purpose of the two sharing one another, as he found his way into her, his hunch having been deemed correct. She quickly shivered herself at the sensation of his length running into her body while also being somewhat suspended in the air. Between the fear of falling and the pleasure that now encompassed her, her mind was an amalgam of every chemical she could fathom at this point.

While it seemed far more simple in his mind, Colin had to grunt with every thrust, his arms quickly tiring under the heavenly weight they held. Although not noticing that, Kyra wrapped her arms around his head, helping to alleviate some of the strain, though Colin still maintained a heavy cadence through his voice. Every beastial vocalization only served to excite Kyra more, and she found her body about to lose itself rather quickly.

She held on tightly to him, soft whimpers escaping her lips with every thrust, Colin's heavy grunts turning into short, deep moans. Finally, it was her turn to find release, which hit her like a ton of bricks. Given her position, losing her senses left her feeling as though she were falling, and she clawed at Colin's neck and back, trying to keep from plummeting to her demise. Her whimpers turned into rather loud cries as pleasure coursed through her, to the point where even Colin was wary they'd be noticed.

As Kyra began to come down from her high, her eyes peeked open to see Colin's exhausted face. She was shocked to notice that she'd been in such a state, she hadn't even noticed his having finished. They shared heavy breaths, Colin unable to even register the fact that he was carrying her. He simply kept her there, watching the trails of tears that had run down her cheeks from the sheer pleasure.

He leaned his head up and kissed the trails that her tears had created, Kyra just closing each eye as his lips met them. Colin noticed that she was concentrating on breathing in time with him, causing him to smile lightly.

"You're beautiful," he confirmed, wholly.

She blushed, turning away upon realizing that she couldn't exactly go anywhere. Colin grinned further, finding her behavior adorable, and he gently lowered her to the ground, quickly returning to support her as she immediately stumbled once she gained her footing.

"You okay?" Coin questioned, concerned.

She stared up at him, flashing a grin before leaning down to massage her legs, forcing Colin to sigh, "Silverwing. Right."

Despite her declaration, Colin remained beside her, concerned, until she was able to walk soon enough. She followed him as he began to leave, holding his hand against the door frame one final time, staring at the ground for a moment. He sighed, then made his way back out to the street, turning around to see that home once more. His hand wrapped around Kyra's as she examined the building as well.

Suddenly, she caught the scent of smoke lofting through the air, followed by a flicker of flame through ome of the holes in the wall. She desperately spun toward Colin, who remained still, watching the small hovel begin to light up in flames.

"That's your home!" Kyra pleaded.

Colin shook his head, unenthused, "I have a home. but it's not here."

He turned to Kyra, her face still in shock, "You're the only home I need."

She stared up into his eyes, caught between sadness and happiness. In the end, she surrendered herself to the wishes of her lover, turning to watch the flames lick up at the sky. The cement that held the cobblestones together began to melt, resulting in the walls staring to fall slowly into the ground. Colin remained there, emotionless. Kyra did much the same.


	9. Chapter 9

Colin stared out the window of the room they had reserved for the night. He'd been packing his bag when the ocean drew his stare, and he watched the endless waters escape out of view. It had little effect on him now, but he remembered being mesmerized by the sight as a child. Being older, however, different sights mesmerized him now.

He continued his packing, pulling out his notebook and carefully keeping stock of his belongings, as he'd always done when traveling. The list had grown the night before. After consummating their relationship again, the two had gone out for supplies, coming back to retrieve Ascal, who had, at some point, shifted into a form of a bear while sleeping. The stable master had a chore prying the other animals from the other end of the stable, having been frightened there by the sudden presence of a predator.

Colin blankly stared down at his list, noticing something hadn't added up. He turned to look over his shoulder, his eyes now fixed on the angel sleeping on the bed, only half covered by blankets. Her pink skin seemed to burst against the white linens, drawing into waves where the sheets curved around her midsection.

The ocean now lost to him, Colin approached the side of the bed, watching her slight breaths. He had become much more aware of them since he found out that she had been attempting to sync her biorhythms to his, essentially, even if the idea seemed a but odd to him. Despite that, it was a tad romantic in its own right, and he couldn't complain about the softly light pressure of her head upon his chest while they slept.

He slowly caught her by the shoulder, lightly shaking her until her body reacted, stretching out and readjusting itself to get comfortable, and to get away from his hand, "Hey."

She groaned lazily, now stretched out on her stomach. Her arms pulled the pillow closer against her head in a desperate attempt to find sleep again. However adorable of a sight it was, Colin had business to attend to.

"Did you take the clippers I had?" he asked, "They seem to have been taken last night."

Kyra didn't reply, except for another groan in a disjointed pitch. Colin watched her, sighing a bit in annoyance before crawling into the bed alongside her, coming up beside her and wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Albeit lazily, she happily returned the favor, rubbing her head against his chest.

"Ascal took them, I think," she muttered sleepily, muffled by his clothing

Colin nodded, happy to have gotten to the bottom of this, and gently pulled away to return to his feet, despite Kyra's futile attempt to clutch onto him with eyes closed. He walked back around the bed and smiled down at her, bringing his fingers to the edge of her hairline, bringing them down her body slowly, tucking her hair back around her slender ear as he went.

"Good morning," he whispered, finally.

Another groan emerged as he left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Ascal had taken the room across from the two, preferring not to interfere with whatever activities that might have been taken by the other two, though considering how intoxicated he was, he might have slept through anything.

Colin rapped lightly against his door, hearing nothing from behind it. He frowned at the development, not sure how to navigate it. Ascal was quiet anyway, so he probably wouldn't reply anyway, even if in need of privacy. On the other hand, he had a massive binge the night before; maybe there was an ostrich or something on the other side in need of assistance.

Impatiently, he knocked again, and after another silent reply, he turned the knob to find it unlocked. He slowly entered, quickly noticing the tall man standing across the room, clippers in hand, in front of a mirror. Colin carefully closed the door behind him and trailed lightly toward Ascal, who must have known he was there.

"My apologies," he spoke, carefully pulling the clippers across his hair, "I wasn't sure what to use; Shadowmoon offered these."

Colin shrugged, "Oh, it's no problem; I just wondered where they'd gone to."

He watched him continue to cut his hair, awkwardly searching for a topic of conversation, "I was worried if you weren't supposed to sleep last night."

The elf replied, "I couldn't navigate a dirt road, much less a Dreamway. I was in no danger."

Colin laughed nervously, just now noticing the pile of hair at Ascal's feet, "My god."

Ascal went on, unenthused, "I don't know if it's just our connection took to nature, but especially while sleeping, our hair grows quite rapidly."

The druid stared nostalgically into the mirror, "My teacher, Loganaar; he would be there every time one of us woke. He'd cut our hair so we would be presentable, once again, for our guardians. Even with no purpose, he never failed to do the same for me."

The air grew still as Ascal peered blankly into his reflection. His concentration only broke as Colin approached him with a sigh, gently wrangling the clippers from Ascal's grasp.

"Well no wonder you look a fright," Colin muttered cool, "Let me even it out for you."

Ascal carefully watched his movements through the mirror, still emotionless, making sure the sharp blades didn't cut his skin. Colin skillfully managed to make his hair appropriate, dropping entire tufts of the stuff to the ground.

"Odd jobs," Colin explained, "You learn a lot of skills from just doing stuff for people."

He dropped his arms and gently wiped the small bits of hair from the elf's shoulders, patting him on the back as he finished up, "Good as new!"

Ascal turned to bow slightly, in thanks, though was met with the clippers, Colin having thrusted them at him for emphasis, "And don't take stuff without asking. I need to know who's using my stuff."

He turned and stuffed the clippers into his pocket with a sigh, "I still know who has my Rexxar action figure from the third grade."

He bowed quickly, only in reply to Ascal's gesture, and rushed over toward the door, "We should be heading out in about a half hour or so. Be ready, okay?"

Ascal nodded silently, turning back to the mirror. He returned to staring at himself, unsuredly. His teacher returned to his mind, as well as his time spent down in the burrows of Moonglade. His mind flickered to the image of Ysera, concerning him. He couldn't get the foreboding feeling of dread out of his mind whenever he thought of her.

Meanwhile, quietly entered his room once again, turning to see Kyra, strapping her armor up to her body. She flashed a glance toward him as he entered, now smiling as she twisted the feathered chest plate to adjust it to her body. Colin lifted up the clippers to show that he had retrieved them as he returned to his knapsack to stuff them in.

He crossed them off his list, trying his best to hide a sigh as he stood there, peeking out the window once again. As astute as her hearing was, Kyra easily caught his exasperation and approached his back, wrapping her arms around him as she rested her head against his broad back.

"You're worried," she pointed out, softly.

Colin released a chuckle, "Yes, I am. But that's my responsibility. I dragged you along; you shouldn't have to be the one to do so."

"Even though you know I'll worry anyway," Kyra smiled, barely.

Nodding, Colin spun his neck around, catching what he could of Kyra on the other side of his shoulder, "You actually have a means of defending yourself. I'm still not as strong as you."

Kyra's mind flashed the sketches Colin had drawn, over and over. The simply act of killing, while understood by Kyra as necessary in self-defense, had absolutely haunted Colin. Despite his appearing to have gotten over it, she still felt a guilt welling within her.

"Hey," she spoke quietly, "Why did you stop drawing that orc in Ashenvale?"

Colin twisted his lips, "You saw that?"

"I didn't mean to," Kyra explained, hiding her face in his clothes, "But yes. In about fifteen different notebooks."

He smiled lightly, "You must have happened upon those, and not the ones with you in them…thankfully."

Kyra looked up at him, confused, as he laughed, "Not that it wasn't anything bad. I mean, at least not now. I wouldn't want anybody else seeing them."

Although Tyriel came to Kyra's mind, she simply remained quiet as Colin went on, "I realized that I had the most negative experience of my travels imprinted on my mind. I was foolish in that, though; I realized I needed to remember the most positive thing about my trip."

He paused for a brief second, "…the most positive thing about my life."

Colin lightly pulled away from Kyra and walked over toward the armoire that sat in the room, quietly opening up one of the doors and pulling out a sword that, while grand, was obviously brand new, or rather untested. He lifted it up to rest on his shoulder, carefully watching Kyra's face.

"I got it earlier this morning. I can't promise I'll just whip it out at the first sign of danger, but…"

He lowered his head, "I'm afraid my lack of fight had nothing to do with being better than such things. Perhaps I just never had anybody I needed to fight for. Back then, I mean, I didn't even have to think; I just knew. I knew I needed to do whatever it took to see another day alongside you."

Kyra watched him gravely, and she slowly approached him, slowly grasping at the sheath of his sword carefully, "You admire my fight, yet I admire your ability to stand tall amidst adversity."

Her eyes dipped low as she sadly turned away, "My name doesn't exactly lend well to violence."

Colin watched her carefully, "You've mentioned something like that before. I gathered that it may have something to do with Shadowmoon Valley, but…"

She sighed, as though finding this topic to have come earlier than she'd have wanted, holding her hand up to her lips, nervously. Although surprised by such a reaction, Colin was aware it was something of a serious issue. Then he remembered something about her family being up on Hyjal?

He looked away in thought, absentmindedly speaking aloud, "Did something happen with your eldest brother?"

Kyra's eyes peered over toward him, her face now full of a tiny fire. She groaned, slowly falling back onto the bed, holding her face in her hands.

"There's…more to my family than you know," she uttered, almost with a whisper, "Like, a lot more."

Colin smiled grimly, "I guess its only appropriate, since my family has nothing to it."

Failing to see the humor, Kyra continued, "My father was among the first of Illidan's men, who invaded that valley. It had been I habited previously by the Shadowmoon tribe, which is where the name comes from, but that's also where my family name comes from."

She thought quietly, still holding her hands to her eyes, probably to avoid Colin's stares , "My father was with a team of something like four or five people, and they single-handedly massacred the shamen, and afterwards, figured they would lay claim to the name as well. My father was quite the successful Illidari, and though he's never told me why he left, I would have to assume my mother had something to do with it. He claims daily that she saved his life, anyway.

"He left the Illidari, yet the scars of demon magic remained on his body, as did the name he had taken. While his scars served as his own reminder, he wanted his name to be a reminder to his children; a reminder of what can happen when power corrupts, and how strong love can be to thwart that."

Kyra now lay across the bed, her arms outstretched as she looked distantly up toward the ceiling, "My brother left with Archdruid Staghelm when he defected to the armies of Ragnaros, so obviously, my parents feared for his very existence. Nobody knows why he left, but its one of those things home of us exactly speak of."

"And yet," Colin spoke, thinking about Ysera's words to him just the other night, "Here we are, traveling to the Firelands, perhaps."

Kyra looked at him, confused by the leap in logic, but Colin had some more clarity. Ysera's little adventure was centered around what one will do for another; she's testing him, he thought. Perhaps this whole entire adventure was to bring peace of mind to Kyra, albeit in a vague way. But that didn't explain Ascal; it wasn't as if she required a messenger.

Colin felt a pang of fear in his heart. If her brother had turned to the Druids of the Flame, and his mission here was to rescue or, cringingly, kill him…what kind of human was capable of such things?

The welling up of nausea in his stomach meant that he needed to take his mind off these ideas, all speculation at that. He noticed that he was clutching his sword rather roughly, and he released his grip, though too much, and he fumbled around with the unfamiliar weight of the weapon.

Kyra grinned as she leaned up, sitting on the edge of the bed, "Good thing there aren't any mice in here tormenting me."

Colin glared at her, dryly, but before he could reply, she was standing up, approaching him slowly until she could take his free hand in her own, "I promised myself when we met that I wouldn't allow you to fall to that level my family is so accustomed to. I broke that promise once, and I do not intend to do so again."

Her head lowered as she watched her fingers entwined with his, "If we're truly going to be confronting…him…I'm going to need you there by my side. Like I said before: a thousand years is plenty of time for somebody to break your heart."

Colin watched her solemnly, careful with his tone, "What did he do to you?"

She remained silent, and gave little indication that she would ever answer the question. She ultimately did not, as the city's bell began to toll, signaling that their departure time had arrived. Nevertheless, Colin held her tightly, stealing a few more precious moments here.

"I guess the good thing about being an orphan, you can share some of your family's weight onto me," he spoke quietly, "I may not be adept with a weapon, but allow me the chance to protect you from any darkness within your heart and mind. My arms, my words, and my lips; they're weapon I can actually out to use."

Kyra shut her eyes slowly, her lips lifting up at his words as she dug her head into his chest one final time before they left. In that moment, she had no fear.


	10. Chapter 10

Teldrassil. With no seasons, and the constant swirl of purplish pink energies that surrounded its boughs, there were no seasons and very few weather conditions that occurred. In fact, even a few hundred years before Colin had ever stepped foot upon this enormous tree, it looked no different from his first trip there.

The only difference were the inhabitants. Some were younger, others had left in the coming centuries, others arrived. The tiny settlement of Starbreeze Village had just been established, and a new couple had arrived, fresh from the mainland, seeking peace after a long series of, to say the least, turbulent events in their lives; a fact that was not lost on their neighbors.

The man, Eldris Shadowmoon, carried his reputation on his skin, and even fully clothed, his face bore the scars of his former life. Despite having the blessing of the highest Archdruids of Darnassus, there were still some who watched him skeptically, didn't speak to him, and avoided him at all costs. After all, his face carried the marks of the Illidari.

His wife, by association, carried the same scars. While Eldris wore scars drawn on by the infernal fires of demonic magic, his wife, Cayssarin, wore scars given to her by steel swords and bursts of flame from the hands of mages. She even wore a particularly nasty one down the side of her neck, given to her by her husband. After all, at one point, she had been tasked to kill him.

Despite a tumultuous history that rivaled the greatest of warriors, the two now were more than ready to settle on the Crown of the Earth, though scars coming as very unnatural to the natives, night elves who, in some cases, hadn't even witnessed violence.

Therefore, the two settled into a smaller settlement, where there were less people to stare at them. Regardless, the villagers more or less welcomed them, even if some of the children were a bit frightened of the newcomers. Soon enough, the two began having children of their own; the first being a son, Kelaeth.

He resembled his father, mightily so, which Eldris was immensely proud of. Having spent so many years watching his face become contorted by the fel magic he had been exposed to, he was nearly brought to tears by the pure face of his son, unadulterated by darkness. It was almost as though he'd looked into a mirror that showed his own early life.

Kelaeth grew up to be a strong man, nothing like many of the inhabitants of Teldrassil, who took life slowly. Kelaeth was much more prepared to take life by the reigns, and had quickly overgrown the massive tree. Combining the ferocious face of his father with the subtle culture of his mother, he grew up rather respected in Darnassus, eventually becoming a pupil of the Archdruid, Fandral Staghelm, whose tales of heroicism down in Silithus absolutely captivated the young man.

Staghelm was such a cunning, unshakeable force against the Qiraji, earning a name well known amongst the entire race: Kar'sis, the 'Hand of Earth'. Such ability to make one's self known, perhaps feared, by an entire population; the idea fascinated Kelaeth to no end. Although Staghelm was known as a rather stubborn opponent to Tyrande after Malfurion's departure, the man was rather gracious in private, almost coming to view Kelaeth as the son he had once lost.

Before any of this, however, Kelaeth was the oldest of siblings, which was a role he took seriously as protector. As his brothers and sisters began to increase, so too did his responsibility. First came Nylfallas, his younger brother.

Nylfallas turned out to be much more reserved than his brother. Where Kelaeth was as brash as his father, Nylfallas was much more strong in his subdued nature. Kelaeth could beat you into submission with his brute strength, but Nylfallas allowed his eyes to peer endlessly into his opponents, forcing their surrender from within. Although he rarely sought conflict, he did enjoy a good spar with his older brother, if only to prove himself unneeding of protection, especially once Vylira came along next.

With a sister came the two boy's unending desire to shield her from any advances, though Vylira was far too adventurous to simply stay at home or by her brothers' side. Oddly enough, her white hair was incredibly rare, and pretty much unseen upon Teldrassil, which caught the attention of everybody who laid eyes on her, much to the annoyance of her greatest defender, Kelaeth.

She did enjoy dueling with her older brothers as well; a trait that followed along all of the siblings, and even parents. Perhaps due to their not living there for the duration of their lives, Cayssarin, and especially Eldris, would both fall into periods where the endless flow of peace grew too monotonous for them, and it wasn't at all odd for the children to wake up to find their parents locking arms in combat, though it was well-known that, having lost most of his strength, Eldris often only won due to Cayssarin's "unintentional" misstep.

Aaleas and Y'eanel came next. The twins grew up as the others had, though Kelaeth had grown up enough that he wasn't around as often. The twins were the last ones who would grow up in the shadow of the eldest.

After the twins, Elris and Cayssarin stopped having children for a long while, probably due to Kelath and, eventually, Nylfallas going off into the world. Even Vylira had been accepted as an early candidate into the Sentries, leaving only the twins in their care. As they aged, the two slowed down, and the twins were often teased for not having been brought up as "rigorously" as the others had. Aaleas, a boy, took it upon himself to train mightily in order to prove himself to the siblings, while Y'eanel, a girl, couldn't have cared less. Far more distant that any others, she took up more artistic pursuits, which her parents favored, as in their older age, they found time to appreciate such things more.

Perhaps due to loneliness, Syheath came along, and from an early age, she had an affinity for the animals of Teldrassil. A bit more brusque than her sister at home, she filled the void left by the older children, she herself enjoying the fights Aaleas brought along.

Whatever pattern had drawn a line through each child, however, stopped at the youngest, Kyra.

Kyra was born sickly, from day one. Already the illest of ills in terms of premonitions, as night elves rarely developed sicknesses at all, many offered little hope for the small child, even some of her older siblings. Kelaeth wouldn't even look at her when visiting, and Nylfallas had already left the tree before she'd been born, though by many accounts, he had little interest.

The two who defended the child was Eldris and Cayssarin, her parents. If only due to her lack of health, Eldris doted on her mightily, in a way that none of the other children had received, and while Cayssarin wasn't quite as hands-on as her husband, she still cared greatly for her daughter. Y'eanel would often stay by her younger sister's side as well, possibly due to her being the most maternal of the bunch, though the greatest protector of young Kyra was always Vylira.

Vylira had grown up a soldier, and a rather gallant one at that. She also became a rather shrewd politician in Darnassus alongside her brother, Kelaeth, although in much different ways. Kelaeth was far more an opportunist, and while physically strong, he knew when to strike silently at opponents, and when he was found out for his ruthlessness, he oftentimes was smart enough to cast blame to others, though never to his sister.

A cunning and ravenous idealist, Vylira strove to smother corruption or wrongdoing, albeit unaware of her brother's partaking. She never backed down from a fight when it seemed at all helpless; it only forced her resolve to increase. So when Kyra came around, sickly and helpless, she immediately saw an underdog in need of aid.

While her parents were necessary to be there, and Y'eanel was just another girl to Kyra, at least at that age, Vylira came upon her like a rising guardian angel. Disregarding any and all duties, if Kyra was in need of something, Vylira immediately procured it and brought it home. One day, she was in a hearing about sending more supplies to Auberdine, when a page whispered in her ear that she was needed to bring some herb to cure a slight cough. She immediately jumped up and left, without a word, riding from Darnassus to Starbreeze in a matter of an hour or so; a feat so impressive that it had been discussed that a race should be run annually to commemorate it.

While most of her siblings warmed up to her, even Nylfallas had visited and grown to adore the child, Kelaeth never truly enjoyed her company. Already lost somewhat in the darker underbelly of Darnassian politics, his heart had subtly began to turn just as dark. Even so, as a sickly one, he looked upon as weak, or even unworthy to have his name; one he wished would one day be respected by many.

Kyra hardly ever saw him, but when she did, she could recognize his disfavor in her. It was one of the driving forces in her growing and training, an attempt at becoming stronger, and inevitably, the sickly child that few expected to live came up to become rather formidable.

Though she could never stop seeing her older brother's eyes watching her disapprovingly.

One day, Kyra sat outside her home, alone. Her parents had forbidden her from leaving the village, and although she sometimes would disobey the order, no doubt encouraged by Aaleas and Syheath, on this day she had nobody speaking opposing actions into her ear. Instead, she simply rearranged a collection of plants Teronis, their neighbor, had assembled in a sort of communal garden of vases.

She would lightly lift them by the stem, examine the length, type, and how much progression they had gone, and carefully carry them from one vase to another; a menial task to be sure. She sighed as she finished up, wiping her hands across the hem of her skirt, and looking out toward the path that led out of the village. Even now, she longed to leave, though not to such a magnanimous destination as the mainland.

Today, her parents had gone with the others to the lake, though Vylira was supposed to stop by to check on her on the way to Shadowglen. She had promised to show Kyra how to wrangle a boar the next time they'd met, which helped her cope with not going with the others.

Although she had grown out of many of her afflictions, Kyra still found it difficult to do many things that exerted too much energy. She could walk easy enough, but running long enough would easily leave her clutching her chest and coughing up blood. She had become very conscious of her condition, but still found herself too impulsive to worry; a trait shared by many other children, she thought.

She stood from her spot on the bench and walked up toward the road, staring off into the distance, watching for Vylira. She sighed impatiently, turning back toward the village. As she returned, Teronis was standing where she had been, examining her work.

"Very nicely done," he muttered lightly, his finger gently lifting the petals to be examined, "You've become rather good at this, young one."

Kyra groaned, upset, "Well I'm sure florists become well known at parties and things."

Teronis smiled slightly, "I've never witnessed anybody so disadvantaged trying to rush so fast through life. I would have thought most children here would easily fall into the routine placed here by our longing for immortality, but you almost seem eager to reach the end of your life."

"What life?" Kyra grumbled, angrily, as she fell down onto the bench, "I can't even leave the village."

With a look of sheer mischief, Teronis eyed her sidelong from his examination, "Now, be both know that to be false."

Kyra turned to him with a grimace, ashamedly, "Sorry."

The older man shrugged, pulling an herb from one of the vases, "I already told you there was no harm done. I don't mind covering for you as long as you remain safe. It would be a much different tale if I were to "take" you to Dolanaar only to have you fall ill."

He pulled the herb to his face and took in a breath, nodding at the scent, "You know, we never had plants here so vibrant until your family arrived here. From two coming from such a dark past, only life seems to spring from them."

Kyra turned to him skeptically as he smiled once more, returning the small plant to its place, "Now, if you'll excuse me. Oh, and I do believe your sibling as arrived."

Kyra quickly shot a glance over her shoulder, but was quickly disappointed by the sight of Kelaeth, slowly walking into view as he read a piece of parchment clutched in his hand. Kyra sighed and stood up, her head lowered as she walked to meet him.

Her eyes trailed the greenery beneath her, watching her feet take step after step. Such a sight had been foreign to her earlier in life, and even now, watching her own legs move seemed to be such a wondrous thing to her. Though, the feeling didn't last long, as suddenly, she ran into a mighty object, though it turned out to be her brother.

She quickly lifted her head in fright, though he only looked down at her expressionlessly, his hand pulled to the side so that he could see, his voice as lifeless as his expression, "If you spend your life watching your feet, you'll never know where you're going."

With that, he turned and walked toward their parent's home, leaving Kyra behind him, though she slowly trudged behind him, following him inside. Kelaeth slowly made his way toward the table, pulling out a chair, and grumbled deeply in relief as he fell into it, leaning back in his chair, his head rolling backward. Without asking, Kyra walked toward the countertop, pulling over a pot of stew, though the noise brought forth a forceful reply from behind her.

"No," Kelaeth spoke, without moving, "That won't be necessary."

Kyra returned the pot and turned back around, hanging her head. Her relationship with this man was, indeed, a complex one. While he rarely ever spoke to her at all, all but refusing to acknowledge her as his sister, Kyra couldn't help but seek out his approval, for whatever reason. She had wanted to break free from her ailments, which were associated with his disdain, so perhaps the two were one in the same. But what she couldn't understand was the fear she could feel whenever he was around, and especially whenever the two were along, although that was incredibly rare.

"Where's Eldris?" he spoke, not having referred to the two as parents since he'd gained rank in Darnassus.

Kyra didn't move, but she did reply quietly, "Wellspring Lake. With everyone else."

Kelaeth didn't move, but was obviously annoyed, "Catching some exotic fish no doubt."

Kyra remained down, though she could tell by the creaking wood that he was moving in his chair. He leaned onto the table and reached up to rub his eyes as a shadow appeared through the entry way, with Vylira arriving behind it.

"Kyra? We got a- Oh."

She immediately noticed Kelaeth there, and Kyra behind him, though she quickly made her way over to the youngest, "He didn't hurt you did he?"

Kelaeth remained quiet as Kyra shook her head, though Vylira wasn't finished speaking, "Well if he does, just make sure you aim for the eyes."

In an instant, their brother rose to his feet and turned around shouting, "You got a problem?!"

Vylira only stuck her tongue out, turning to prepare herself some stew, "Hold your horses; I'm just teasing. Kyra, go sit down; you do enough preparing around here."

Kyra silently obeyed, being cautious not to sit too close to Kelaeth as he somberly returned to his seat. Kyra stared hard at the table top, intensely avoiding any sort of eye contact with her bother, though it only caused her to miss the fact that he'd started watching her.

"You know, there are orcs that treat their children better than you treat that girl," Vylira explained sarcastically, tapping the spoon against the edge of the bowl, "And no, I'm not going to just be quiet because she's sitting there."

She walked over and gently laid the bowl down in front of Kyra, before rushing around behind her and lifting her head, "I mean look how adorable she is!"

Although unable to move, Kyra's eyes nervously shot every with way until Vylira relinquished her hold, allowing her to quickly return to staring down at the table.

"She can't even look up," Kelaeth muttered dismissively, "You say she's gotten stronger, but when you start behind, you don't get any points making it to the starting line."

Vylira shot a stare at him, shouting, "Hey! I'd say her starting where she was at and still getting this far says far more than the boy that was given everything."

Kelaeth turned his face up toward her, angrily, "I'm here to see Eldris; not start a war under this roof."

"Then maybe show Kyra some respect!" she retorted once more, "You know, not once have you ever spoken her name."

Her brother didn't respond; only lowering his head as though to rest. Vylira huffed her way back toward the countertop, slamming the top of the pot back onto its place and angrily holding her fist against the wooden counter and pushing as hard as she could against it; the telltale creaking signaling her to stop.

"I'm so happy we have real men to call brothers," she spoke under her breath, knowing full well that Kelaeth could hear.

Quickly, he took to his feet, walking toward the entryway, waving at Vylira to follow along, "We'll see how much of a man I am when I have you on the ground, even in my current state."

Vylira shrugged as she followed along, rolling up her sleeves. And so, there Kyra sat alone, Vylira's campaign for her sister becoming about herself once again. She quietly lowered her head and collected a spoonful of soup, slowly eating what she could. The light from outside only shone lightly in this part of the room, leaving Kyra in the darkness. It was where she preferred.

For now.


	11. Chapter 11

A few days passed and Kyra remained where she had always been. There were only so many routes through the village that one could take, and Kyra had pretty much taken all of them. She had earned quite a reputation among her neighbors, particularly as a rather helpful child; she was always looking for opportunities to make use of a body that hadn't always been of use to her. Today, however, it had gotten a bit chilly in the air, and many were simply taking the opportunity to curl up in thicker clothes or blankets and simply take it easy and relish in the warmth.

Of course, Kyra wasn't one to sit still on many occasions. Oddly enough, on this day, neither was Kelaeth. He had returned to Starbreeze and made his way home, looking for his youngest sibling of all people. He trailed behind her once he spotted her, slowly approaching, as he preferred to walk, and finally came to her, her body whipping around in a panic as he called out to her.

"You truly are frightened of me," he noted aimlessly as he watched her lower her head to hide.

He held his lips tight before groaning, reaching out to her chin in order to lift her face up, "How will you grow strong if you can't even look your brother in the eye?"

She didn't refuse to raise her head, but her eyes silently shifted in different directions, only periodically meeting his, which seemed to silently irritate him. Nevertheless, he turned and began to walk away, his hand waving at her to follow him. She did as instructed, albeit quietly.

"Do you know the rules for sparring with your brothers and sisters?"

Kyra nodded slightly, "Face is off limits. No breaking bones."

Kelaeth nodded, "And the third one?"

Silent for only a moment, she replied, "Trick question."

For the first time, a grin creeped upon his face in her presence, "Very good. I'm not asking you to spar, though you should begin practicing, no matter what Eldris and Cayssarin say. You share my name, so regardless of your ailments, I suppose it's my responsibility to drag you along to greatness as well."

Kyra took offense to his words, though as she ran through them again in her mind, she caught that final part, understanding he, more than likely, though another sibling, or perhaps all of them, needed him to carry them to his pedestal. She remained quiet, though he looked off into the distance.

"You don't want to stay here, correct?" Kelaeth questioned, distantly.

"Yes!" Kyra shouted, though she became embarrassed soon afterward.

Her brother curled his lips in thought, then nodded, "Alright, then I have a test for you. If you're truly as strong as everybody says you believe you are, that is."

Kyra still had her head lowered, though straightened herself immediately as he spoke up, loudly, "You can start by looking at me like an adult!"

Her eyes met his and remained there, which scared her more than anything, not withstanding his shout, though he returned to his calm as he continued, "Alright. Then I'll see you tomorrow. Don't let anybody know; I don't need them getting onto me for pushing you along. They're too afraid, and you and I both know you're better than that."

Kyra's eyes blinked rapidly, still feeling from their eye contact, only coming back entirely as he finished, "Right?"

"Right," she repeated, nodding affirmatively.

He did the same, though much more solemnly, and began walking away, the complete mystery of this test already beginning to gnaw on her mind. She began along home, filled to the brim with excitement, anticipation, and straight-up fear.

Later that night, Kyra sat on one of the trees that had turned into a communal bench in the center of the village. Dinner had concluded, and she stared off into the distance, still preoccupied with her eldest brother. Up until now, she had little about him, anyway, to think about. If anything, despite her reverence toward him, she found more things about him to forget, any time he spoke ill of her or the dismissive way he would pass her by.

Her sister, Y'eanel, had stitched together a crude bag when she was younger that she would use to gather herbs when she was sick, and in her better health, had given it to her to use for whatever. While Kyra respected Vylira for her strength, she adored Y'eanel for her caring, which wasn't exactly in tall order from her mother oftentimes, not with having to deal with the others.

Tonight, Kyra had collected some pieces of metal that Nylfallas had brought back from a trip he'd gone on. They came emtangled, and you were to figure out which way to disassemble the mass of iron. Although, they were enchanted to always tangle a different way each time you finished the puzzle.

She pulled the bag up onto her lap and dumped the iron rods beside her onto the bench, watching them wiggle and squirm together like worms, entwining together until coming to a stop, the puzzle being created. Kyra then pulled the small junble together and began pulling the different parts along other parts, attempted to find with iron bar fit along another.

Without her knowledge, Vylira had approached from behind and had leaned onto the back of the bench, her head resting on her arms as they crossed on the wood. She watched her innocent-looking sister absentmindedly work one piece of iron at a time, finding nothing, then moving along to another one.

Finally, she managed to work one of the pieces free, dropping it into the bag beside her as Vylira excitedly spoke up, "Well there you go."

Kyra turned to see who it was before returning to her activity, "It's nothing, really."

Vylira grinned as she walked around the wooden seat and sat down next to her sister, leaning forward as she watched her, "I know. You're looking pale tonight; you okay?"

Kyra nodded silently, which only concerned Vylira even more, "What's up? You're usually so eager to talk. Just last week, you couldn't resist telling that story about finding that snake; even mother couldn't keep you from it!"

Hoping to see something of a smile, Vylira frowned when it didn't appear. Kyra was still lost in tomorrow, but knew she couldn't say anything, though it only left her sister concerned.

"You dream, right?" Vylira asked, out of the blue.

Kyra looked at her, confused, though she clarified, "Not while you're sleeping. I mean, thinking about your future and all that."

Kyra lowered her head, "A little."

"I mean, you're still young and all, but… I think about it a lot; probably more than anybody else's. You know, there was a time where thinking about it was nothing but sadness. Now look at you."

Kyra stared off wistfully, "I've heard all this before, you know."

Vylira smiled, "I know. It just still gets me. Maybe it's a sign of how strong you are, now, that it no longer phases you. Says a lot about me, too, I suppose."

Kyra snapped, "You're the strongest person I know! Not even a question!"

Grinning at her impassioned retort, Vylira replied, "I mean, if you say so. There are different kind of strengths, you know. I may be physically strong, but you've sort of been forced to be emotionally strong."

She turned to her sister, "And let's face it, a tad head strong, too."

Kyra looked away embarrassed as Vylira continued, "But that may be why you're still here. Let me put it this way; if I were so close to death, I don't know if I could outlast it. You know that you can. And that's a stubbornness that I hope you never lose."

She nudged Kyra with her elbow, "I can only protect you for so long. You'll hate it when you get older; I hated it when Kelaeth did it for me after I'd grown up."

Vylira fell back into the bench, raising her arms and clutching her hands together at the back of her head. Kyra stared at her, almost in awe of her sister, which wasn't new to her at all.

"Do you dream?" Kyra questioned, innocently.

Her eldest sister grinned brightly, "Hell yeah I do. I'm going to fight for my people. I'll be a mighty Feathermoon, or a swift Silverwing; heck, if I'm sent to fight scarabs in Silithus! I'm gonna be the best damn warrior Elune has ever had within her ranks!"

During her proclamation, she had stood up and raise her arms in triumph. Kyra watched her, wide eyed, until she finally realized her embarrassing pose, quickly returning to her seat and beginning to laugh.

"Or, you know, something like that."

Kyra lowered her head in thought, but suddenly lifted it high into the air, "I want to be a soldier too!"

Vylira laughed nervously now, patting Kyra's shoulder, "I mean, that's awesome, but pace yourself, kiddo! You've got many a century ahead of you."

Kyra cringed as she turned away, "You just don't believe I can do it!"

Her sister laughed lightly, pulling her into a hug, "Kyra, you could be my superior and I'd still worry about you. Heck, you could wear Archimonde's ear around your neck, I'd still worry. It's just my job."

Kyra tried wiggling free, but Vylira wouldn't have it, and she only laughed harder, "As much as you'll hate it, it's just my job. I know how it goes, remember."

"Yesh," Kyra muttered, her face squished between Vylira's arms, "I row dat all too wew…"

After her talk with Vylira the night before, Kyra was far more determined today. While she still avoided looking at her brother the best she could, she had an excitement within her that she hadn't felt in such a long time. Was she finally going to make her brother proud? Even Vylira seemed like she would be proud of her for completing this quest! Her giddiness was only thwarted by the icy cold air that permanently filled the air around Kelaeth.

He remained silent as the two approached Dolanaar, though they made a detour away from the town, back toward the collection of hills that sat behind it, entering a small thicket sitting between two of the mounds. Kyra began to become progressively fearful as they walked, more so because of her guide's silence which she found less than reassuring.

They ascended another hill and came to a small opening, leading into a cave that the locals had once used for storage. Unknown to Kyra, however, it now was home to various grellkin whenever they seemed to pop up, though it had been many years since their last appearance. Now, as she looked into the opening, all she saw was empty darkness.

Kelaeth stood beside the opening, only lifting his hand toward the hole, to which Kyra asked, "I'm supposed to go in there..?"

Her brother didn't nod, and only stared at her seriously, unflinchingly. Kyra gulped and took another step to the small entrance, leaning over to peek worriedly into the dark abyss. Given their bright eyes, night elves already didn't do too well in darkness, but Kyra's were another part of her that had been afflicted by her illness, and they had never truly been reliable for her.

As the thoughts of entering the darkness began to surround her mind, time suddenly went still. She felt a crushing blow to her back, and she instantly found herself falling in slow motion into that emptiness. Before she could realize what had actually happened, her body met the rocky ground, hard, knocking her into a daze, though she managed to roll to her side and at and stare up into the tiny lit hole from whence she came.

She could barely make out the story face of her brother, staring at her all the same. He didn't speak, but she could see his arm grab for something. Before she could make out what, the light became the moon. Waxing…waning…crescent…gone.

She laid there, now in total darkness. Still shaken from the impact. Reverberating between unconsciousness and reality, she brought her hand to her face, surprised to find a warm sort of liquid. She quickly realized she was bleeding, which seemed to awaken her from her daze, as she instantly sat up and looked around, at nothing.

As quickly as it could have possibly happened, her heart raced to its peak as she began to panic, turning her head back and forth, trying to figure her bearings, though there was nothing there. She knew, then, that she was stuck like this; her eyes had never adjusted to the darkness before.

By the time she had risen to her knees, she could feel that same warm liquid trickling off her face and onto her knees, though by now, she couldn't decipher whether it was blood or tears. She couldn't contain her sniffles as tears rained down,, making to finding herself utterly lost, her cries beginning to strengthen as panic set in.

Suddenly, a rather loud crash occurred in the echoed distance, her head whipping toward the sound as she stopped making any noise whatsoever. She took a step backward, her mind now lost in a haze in fear and worry, and she tripped on a rocky step, causing to fall backward and onto the ground, though she continued crawling backward, finally being stopped at a wall.

She again looked around, helplessly, though to no avail. She could hear water droplets hitting the ground somewhere, and distant echoes of speech, she thought. Though her tears didn't stop flowing, she refused to make any noise. She stood up, shakily, clutching at the wall to support herself. She knew that the wall shouldn't ever wrap around itself unless it hit the entrance, which she now took as gospel.

With both hands running against the sandy wall, she took as miniscule of steps as she could, methodically so, not wanting to trip or fall off an overhang. The length of one foot never left the length of the other, though her care overrode her timeliness. Whatever sniffles she required herself to make as she continued to cry, she made sure to stifle into her arm. In her mind, she could tell there were monsters creeping around, just behind her. And as far as she was concerned, it was very well true.

Vylira strode into Starbreeze atop her nightsaber, making sure to greet the villagers who'd come to greet her, specifically children. She found it odd that Kyra wasn't among them, but figured she'd probably had enough of her big sis the night before. She shrugged to herself as she leaned down to scratch her mount's cheeks before carefully departing, patting its head as she looked around.

She saw Kelaeth in their family home, sipping on something and jotting down notes. Syheath was also there, along with Aaleas, the twins cleaning up some large vase that belonged to their mother, obviously unenthused, standing outside in the grass. Vylira approached the two, just barely remembering what it was she was wondering, her mind was so out there.

"Is Kyra here?" she asked, questioningly, as Syheath looked around, seriously.

"No; we haven't seen her all day now that you mention it," she replied, with the same pronoun the two often used to include the other, "Mom or dad either; they might have all gone somewhere."

Vylira looked off into the distance, still concerned. Something about the thought didn't seem right, though she cast it off quickly, even if the worry remained. She sighed as she left the two and entered the home, making a cursory look around, a futile attempt to find her sister.

Kelaeth, without looking up, must have noticed, as he grumbled, "She's with Eldris."

Vylira eyed him skeptically. He never spoke about Kyra, nor did he ever even refer to her in conversation, which caught her a bit off guard. She walked toward the kitchen and pulled down a mug for a drink, peering over toward a mirror that held her brother's reflection.

"Where'd they go?" she asked before taking a sip of water.

"Shadowglen, I think," he mumbled along, still writing down notes and circling others on the sheet of parchment he'd had with him.

Vylira eyed him harshly, knowing he was lying. She had no idea why he would be, but given Kyra's absence, it could potentially be something sinister. She tried thinking up a diplomatic way to find out where she'd gone, but before she could finish l, a quiet murmur arrived from Kelaeth's lips as he absently worked.

"Such a weakling, that one."

Vylira's eyes shrunk as she cringed at his words, her hands clenching into fists against the counter. She angrily, and loudly, placed the mug back onto the counter and stomped out of the home, walking past her twin siblings, who both turned to her in confusion.

She stopped and looked around, as though looking for something, and then, realizing the futility, she turned back around and angrily faced back toward the house, Aaleas continuing to polish the vase while his eyes peeled up to watch her.

She stopped at the door, dropping her head and clenching her teeth. She released a sort of growl before once again spinning around and walking back toward the path leading out of the village. Once more, she stopped, her hand reaching up to her head, clutching her scalp as she looked skyward, releasing yet another angry groan, and then turning again, alback to the house. This time, however, her face left no doubt in Aaleas' mind that she wasn't turning back now.

"Kelaeth!" she shouted as she approached the small home, causing Syheath to jump in surprise, "Out here, now!"

As though warranting some authority on her end, she chose to summon him outside, although it could have very well have been that there were two witnesses out here as well. She remained standing there, furious, as Kelaeth emerged, almost lazily, adjusting the parchment he'd been writing on before looking up to see his sister's face.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, curiously. almost innocently.

Vylira stared daggers at him as her voiced seethed from her lips, "Where…is she..?"

Syheath and her brother turned to Kelaeth, their curiosity now piqued with such a strange question, albeit one that should be easy to answer. Kelaeth, however, simply shrugged with a straight face.

"No idea; I thought she'd been off with the folks," he retorted, plainly.

Vylira's eyes narrowed, "If you don't tell me…"

Kelaeth sighed tiredly, adjusting the stack of parchment he'd had between his arm and torso before walking to leave the village. Vylira watched him angrily, fists clenched, as he approached her to leave. Aaleas rose to his feet, fearful of what might happen next.

Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, Vylira's arm flew through the air, her mighty fist breaking the air before tearing into her brother's face, knocking him backward and into the ground. Syheath stood to break it up, but Aaleas was quick to snatch her shoulders, not wanting her to get injured in, what was sure to be, ensuing crossfire.

Sure enough, Kelaeth lifted his torso and angrily stared back at his sister before looking around to examine all his scrolls strewn across the grass, his own voice growing grave, "You dare raise your fist to your eldest brother?"

"I raise my fist to a monster," Vylira sneered back, still in a fighting stance.

Truth be told, she had never beaten her brother before, at least not in this manner. Still, that thought failed to cross her mind as she watched his own equally furious face stare back at her as he returned to his feet, rubbing his cheek.

"You've broken the rules," he spoke, lowly, "Take what you dish out."

In a second, he was in front of her, raising his arm to retaliate, although she was quick enough to grab both his arms. However, his leg came up, and like a brick wall at fifty miles an hour, crushed into her side, forcing her to shout out in pain as she stumbled backward, releasing him.

She nearly snarled at him as he walked toward her, shaking his head, "Why do you fight for such a weak being? She'll be dead by her two hundredth birthday. Instead of being a thorn in my damn side, why not help build up the name of Shadowmoon?!"

"Because," she breathed, "Kyra's the one that needs help, not you. She'll be twice the night elf you'll ever be. I see it in your eyes every time I watch them; it's the same reason she refuses to do so. We see the evil there."

Kelaeth shook his head, and let loose a swift kick into her face, causing her to fall backward and to the ground, clutching her face in pain. At that, Sheath finally broke into a dash and latched onto her brother's arm, desperately.

"Kel, stop!" she shouted, though he didn't respond, but he didn't advance either.

He released a steady burst of steam from his nostrils and swiftly pulled his arm away from his sister, fixing his sleeve before turning to leave. Vylira caught him through her fingers and she quickly managed to recover, slowly returning to her feet.

"We are not done, brother," she spoke, darkly, "Where…is…my…sister..?"

He released an angry growl as a sudden burst of flame grew onto his arm. He whipped around , bringing his arm behind him as though winding up an artillery launch of a pyroblast, but as he completed his turn, the immediate visage of Vylira burst into his scene, her entire body flying into his own, knocking him backward and onto the ground, his body suddenly out of all breath.

Now straddling his torso, she lifted her arm and, with a righteous fury within her face that was entirely foreign on this tree, a angry snarl of a shout bellowing from within her,

"WHERE IS SHE?!"

Without waiting for an answer, she brought her fist down and began to rain down blows onto his face, pouring out hot rage that Kelaeth knew immediately was burning hotter than any flame he controlled.

While time appeared to stand still for the two of them, Aaleas and Syheath were both very much in reality, and they immediately leapt at Vylira, desperately trying to stop her from, as far as they knew, ending her brother's life. While younger, the both of them managed, at least, to restrain her somewhat, though her punches continued rolling. As she expelled more and more energy, however, she could resist less and less, and finally, she'd been pulled from him, the twins both falling backward and onto the ground once Vylira had finally relinquished her onslaught.

She didn't even open her mouth, her entire collections of breath finding its way through her nose. Kelaeth angrily grasped at the ground around him, attempting to find some sort of relief, finally latching his hands to his face as it began to burn from its welts.

"You bitch!" he shouted as he nearly began to claw at his face to distract from his pain, a choking sensation accompanying his words, "She's in the cave north of Dolanaar if you truly want that fucking child!"

While Kelaeth writhed upon the ground, without a instant of recovering her sanity, Vylira took off up the trail, leaving the others behind. The twins were too dumbfounded at this point to do much of anything, and they simply stared, aghast, at their brother cursing under his breath, tears running down his face, as he tried anything to stop the pain.

Eventually, he'd settled with holding his arm across his face, pressing it as hard as he could against himself. He spun to his side, trying to use his free arm to get up to his feet, but found it difficult in his state. Between Vylira's punches and his tears, he couldn't see much of anything.

Finally recovered from her shock, Syheath immediately rushed over to help him, but as soon as she touched his arm, he quickly brought it up into the air blindly, hitting her in the face as he did so, knocking her back a few steps.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted angrily, now back on the ground.

Aaleas carefully took his sister by the shoulders and directed her back into their home, his eyes staring pettily at his brother. Kelaeth did what he could, but ultimately wasn't getting anywhere to his feet between his lack of eyesight and his seething rage. The younger brother lowered his head as he quietly followed his sister back into the building where the three of them had all called home, though at such different times.

Kyra's resolve had grown tremendously as she'd made it along, though the noises that echoed out still managed to unnerve her. Whenever a rock tumbled across the ground somewhere, she would quickly squat down, hiding her head in her knees, as though to make herself invisible in the darkness.

Quickly enough, however, she would return to her blind pawing at the cold walls. They almost seemed to only get colder the farther she went, and soon enough, they began to burn her hands with frost when she held on too long. Sure enough, she was still bleeding, and her extremities were becoming so much more sensitive as a result. Her feet became tired, and every step was a challenge.

She pulled her hands away from the stone to recover, her eyes tiredly staring into nothing but darkness. Her breathing had become more haggard, and she could feel herself as she was those many years of illness. She was weak, and she hated it, though she could do little about it here but move on, though that was only killing her at this point.

Rubbing her hands together for warmth as she leaned against the wall, tears began to return to her face as she began thinking about her family, or rather, not seeing them again. She had gotten this far warding off such thoughts, but now it overpowered her. If this were a test, and for crying out loud if it weren't a deadly one, she knew not to expect her brother to come get her any time soon. Plus, the malicious way in which he'd had her participate… She couldn't help but think of why.

She began walking again, but her tears only drained her energy more. As she moved on and on, her hands reaching out to the walls became too much of a weight to bear. She breathed heavily as she brought her arm to her side, her head lowered in thought. She could feel the curvature of the ground morphing into the wall. She continued on, her feet becoming her guild, despite their same numbness.

Her tears overpowering her face, she reached her arm up to wipe her face, but that was the only distraction that was needed. She took a step forward, her foot pressing down against the ground…only there was no ground there. Her leg continued downward, and her body followed down the cliff.

She didn't scream; or rather, she couldn't. She had not the energy to do so, but worse off than that, she didn't have the will to do so. Her body slammed against a small out-cropping before rolling off, continuing down to the ground below, the second drop being greater than the first. She finished her roll on her stomach, her face pressed into the dirt-strewn ground. The same warmth from before, a familiar staple of this experience, met her skin; her body had grown so cold, she almost welcomed it as a cozy respite, despite where it was leading her.

Her eyes had dimmed, and her eyes began to adjust to the darkness. Night elves never know true darkness, she was told as a child, right out of a children's story; not until their flame is just about extinguished. It was supposed to be the most terrifying of moments, but as Kyra recognized it, she wasn't afraid. She was resigned to her fate.

As her eyes grew heavy, she was unable to keep them open. Slowly, they began closing, more and more; her life escaping with each passing moment. Just before closing fully, however, a ghostly light began to shine upon the walls in front of her, just bright enough for her to see. Her eyes stopped, and her ears perked, wondering if this was some meeting with an angel.

She was not far off, in her mind.

Suddenly, the blood-curdling scream of Vylira tore through the cavern, "KYRA!"

While still as weak as she'd ever been, Kyra's fists clenched as she powered her eyes open, helped by that silvery light that moved from side to side, yet became brighter as her sister moved swiftly through the caves. Kyra pulled her fist up to her face and opened her hand, slowly pulling her fingernails across her face, willing the pain back into her body so to remain anchored to this world. She wasn't down past her lips before the light became its brightest, footsteps emerging around the corner.

"KYRA!" Vylira shouted once more, this time with a sense of utter fright at the sight.

She didn't stop scratching herself, giving Vylira the knowledge that she was still alive. She hastily rushed over, and knelt down, carefully grasping up Kyra's body, dropping her lit stone onto her stomach. The light reflected off Vylira's face as Kyra's eyes just began to realize what she was seeing. Through the silvery light of Elune's lit stone, her older sister was truly an angel, at that moment. and a sight Kyra would never truly forget.


	12. Chapter 12

Colin's eyes hadn't left Kyra's body for a good mile or so. She was visibly distant, lost in her thoughts, and hadn't spoken a word. Normally it wouldn't have been much of a problem, but their third was Ascal, whose vocabulary was non-existence often times, and Colin was left with an eerie silence. While he understood the latter's, Kyra's silence confused him, and as he attempted to detect its cause, his eyes fell to studying her body.

They had crossed into the Barrens, slowly making their way up north, if only to avoid any main roads. While they were in Horde territory now, Colin knew the landscape quite well by now, including many of the shortcuts around the large hills that dotted the landscape. Although lost in Kyra's demeanor, he continued to lead the others around Razorfen encampments and other potentially dangerous obstacles.

After a good hour or so of concern, Colin lifted his arm and rested a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise, only embarrassingly turning away once she realized Colin had been watching her.

"Hey," he spoke up, "You okay?"

She sighed, crossing her arms, "Yeah. I mean, no, but not in any important way or anything. I just have a lot on my mind."

Colin looked up into the sky to examine the sun's ascent, "Well, we have about six hours of sunlight left; that's plenty of time to take away your troubles."

Kyra peeked up at him, then at Ascal, who preferred walking behind the two, and grimaced as she spoke up, "I mean… I've just been lost in my memories. We're going to Hyjal, correct? I've never stepped foot there, yet I have so much history there."

"I figured," Colin nodded, sadly, "You've hinted toward something having been going down there."

Kyra laughed nervously, "It's funny; I'm the one who is a Sister, and I'm here with a druid on some divine mission of some sort; I cant help but think I was supposed to end up on the mountain from the start of all this, and yet… I just have difficulty believing all that."

Despite being mentioned, Ascal continued on, blankly staring ahead as Colin looked on as well. Kyra continued smiling lightly as she watched the tan ground trail underneath her feet, thinking of how silly it might have been, especially to Colin. How hypocritical that she had once talked a big game about following along paths set by otherworldly forces, and now she had difficulty coming to similar conclusions.

Even more ironic were Colin's next words, which came out cooly, "I wouldn't have asked this of you if I hadn't known there weren't other forces at work here."

Kyra turned to face his profile, then stared back at Ascal, who was now shooting a stare at the back of his head. She watched Colin a bit longer, oddly mesmerized by his face. Up until recently, his eyes looked ahead as though only a few feet ahead of him. Now they stared off into the distance, much like a night elves'. She thought perhaps it was because he was thinking ahead to their life together, but his face held a determination she hadn't seen in him either. She returned to watching the overrun road, afraid that her breath might just escape if he were to turn and look at her face with those eyes.

The three returned to silence, though not for long. Once again, it was Kyra who awoke conversation, though not at all like before. She stared ahead in thought, though couldn't come up with an explanation as to her observation, so she leaned her head toward Colin, speaking up cryptically.

"Do you two have a friend?"

In a second, Colin's head whipped around, as did Ascal's, leaving the two staring back down the road they'd been on, though not noticing anything, though there were trees and rocks that one could easily hide behind, especially a rogue. Ascal gravely muttered under his breath, turning to Colin with a sardonic twist of his lips.

"Well, we're one-for-two with that one."

Colin frowned, "Did you catch who it was?"

Kyra nodded, "I believe it's a Forsaken woman. I thought I figured her when we'd left Theramore, and I can tell she's following us still. She's good though; I'll give her that."

"I don't know what she wants," Colin muttered aggravated, "Well, I mean, I know why she'd be upset. We got her shipped off to Gadgetzan though; I'd doubt such a shady individual would have friends getting her to Theramore from there in a night."

"In any case," Ascal began, blankly, "We should be careful."

Kyra hadn't stopped watching Colin, which he only noticed now, his eyes quickly jumping away from her own, "It's nothing! Just… You know that ticket to that party in Stormwind we went to?"

Kyra concluded, "She was wanting to buy it?"

Colin nodded, though she continued to press him, "You were going to sell a ticket to the king's gathering to a-"

"Hey," he interrupted, "I was just selling it to the highest bidder."

Kyra watched him turn away, but she couldn't help but grin at the thought that she may have saved the king of Stormwind's life while in town. Still, she turned to watch down the road as the three began to continue.

"You're a lucky one," Ascal spoke emotionlessly, "She will keep you alive."

"Yeah, you too," Colin said drolly, pointing to Ascal's eyes with two fingers.

He grinned slightly, "I may not have noticed her, but I can protect myself regardless."

Colin stared off ahead, apprehensively thinking about the time it would take for him to draw his weapon, again and again.

Pressing on through the Barrens presented a difficult choice for the three. There were two ways to Hyjal: the easiest was, obviously, to go through night elf territory. Kyra had come to know Ashenvale better than some mothers knew their children in her year as a Silverwing, and going from there wouldn't be difficult at all. However, the difficulty was the willingness of the locals to work with Alexstrasza's dragonflight.

Another opportunity presented itself; making their way through Azshara, which was a route Colin had considered from the beginning. The Horde weren't quite as willing to work with the Aspects, though that same apathy extended to humans and night elves. This gave Colin a rather bold idea, which he shared with Kyra and Ascal as the three sat around a small campfire for the night.

"I think I know how to go from here," he began, "We cut across the river up north and go through Durotar."

Ascal turned to him, confused, though still without emotion, "You really are trying to get me killed, are you?"

Colin turned to him apathetically, though Kyra spoke up for him, "And meet up with the Darkspears?"

Nodding, Colin went on, "That's the idea. I stayed with them a few years ago, and I don't know what all has changed. Their hierarchy is very fluid, and I believe Vol'jin has been missing, but if they agree to help us, their druids have long been separate from the same gods of the elves and tauren; their Aspects are not the same as yours."

Kyra blinked slowly, "That's actually brilliant."

Ascal stared at Colin, "And how exactly do you expect to-"

"Just carry my sword," Colin interrupted, "Druids never carry weapons; just strap my sword around your torso and no one will question it. I can speak conversational Trollish; that alone will be enough."

Skeptically, Ascal continued to watch him, though by the end of Colin's explanation, even he couldn't help but acknowledge it with a sigh and a, "Seems fine. Certainly more safe than Ashenvale and a whole soldier class."

Colin grinned, "Exactly. Hopefully some of my troll friends will still be around; you should meet this one guy, Rahzuldo; he can down an entire flask of mojo and still recite the ancient rites of the Loa while balancing a stack of bricks on his head!"

He had excitedly grabbed Kyra's arm and shook it as he talked, which brought a smile to her face. She couldn't help but do so; it was as if he was wanting her to be apart of any part of his life, which she found rather heartwarming, if not a bit saddening. It contrasted with her own life, specifically her family, which she would have liked to been kept secret.

Colin recounted some more tales of his time with the Darkspear Tribe; and although Ascal seemed to be unenthused, Colin and Kyra both realized quickly that, after he had "turned in", he was still awake, most likely listening. Leaving the two to their own devices, Ascal eventually took to sleep, which Colin figured had been due to some confirmation from Ysera to do so.

In the back of his mind, Colin thought that she had done so in order to give the two some privacy, though that was only his speculation. He knew that the two had some unresolved business when it came to her family, and although he found it a bit harrowing to think of talking about, he had a feeling Kyra knew it was something to remove from her chest.

He sat there, quietly leaning forward to stoke the small fire, making sure it wouldn't grow too large to call for suspicious. Kyra had sat beside him, resting against him, and followed his body forward as he stretched out, clutching his arm tightly with her own, twisting around and meeting at his hand. He leaned back and turned to watch that hand, reaching over to cover it with his other hand, stroking a bit of it with his thumb.

"My brother is evil," she spoke suddenly, as though such a sentence was commonplace.

Colin reacted in kind, by looking at her, confused, though she was quick to press on, "I mean, he's not "evil"; at least, I don't think he is. Misguided, perhaps, but… I think it takes a lot to be not just "bad", but…"

She sighed, "I know you're more in the know than I am. I trust you, with my life, even. But I'm confused…and a bit frightened, I guess."

Colin could feel her body tense, "Thinking about going there, I've avoided it for so long. It's made me think of things I never want to think about; remember things I hoped to Elune I wouldn't remember. Ever."

Her head twisted slowly upward, her eyes meeting his, her voice a mixture of fear and resolution, "What are we doing, going there?"

Colin watched her sad eyes, a pang of guilt running through his body. He was vaguely aware of some 'rules' that covered this entire expedition, but could only think of the one: do not admit your goal of immortality. To that end, as Colin held his lips tight in thought, he figured he'd take the plunge to explain this.

"I'm supposed to help you," he spoke, quietly, "And if that means exorcising these demons that ail you, then so be it."

"Colin, he's a Druid of the Flame!" she reminded in a concerned whisper.

He nodded, "It's what's been asked of me."

She watched him, concerned, "Are you supposed to kill him?"

He shot a stare toward her, "No! I mean, I…don't know. I'm just supposed to help you somehow. And considering your history, I figure it's to do with your family. It may not even have to do with him; you said your parents were there too, maybe we're just supposed to clear their minds. The point is, if my mission was to take a single step upon that mountain, I would still do what I could to offer you comfort, even within your mind. When I took you as mine, I agreed to as much."

Her starlight eyes shimmered in the humid air as she watched him, his lips turning into a smile as he stared ahead, his eyes a distance away into the future. Kyra could help but do what she could to somehow get closer to him than she already was, her hands going around his as she did her best to nuzzle up closer to him.

"You should get some sleep too," Colin spoke, still with a faint smile, "I'll take lookout first."

She nodded against his shoulder and closed her eyes to do as he'd suggested, though it wasn't a moment before Colin extending his legs out, jerking his shoulder to alert her eyes open, gently pulling her down. She began to blush as she followed along, getting what he was implying, and she stretched her own body out, laying on her side away from him, resting her head on his lap. Her top-most eyes shut tight to give him the impression that she was going to sleep, but her other eye remained slightly open, too embarrassed to peer out at some distance.

Still noticing the dim light of her eyes, Colin grinned as he slowly began to stroke her hair in an attempt to guide her to slumber. Slowly enough, her other eye closed, though she wasn't quite asleep before speaking once again.

"He tried leading me to my death," she spoke quietly, "If it comes to that, I cant say I wouldn't feel compelled to do the same."

The gravity of the situation already on his mind, Colin felt it increase tremendously with her words. The nerves within him had already been a quivering mess at times, and now he even felt his legs numb a bit, though he was sure it wasn't due to the weight of his beloved. He couldn't image such a thing ever being a burden of any sort.

A few hours had passed with Colin sitting there, silent and alone, watching the bright flames lick at the air above it. Her hand didn't stop stroking Kyra's hair, though would occasionally clutch a small bit in his fingers and lightly pull them down, feeling the inches of her smooth strands before returning to her scalp to begin anew.

She looked so beautiful whenever his eyes dipped low to watch her lightly pink skin taking on the orange if the flames. Her face always had something to it: be it raw determination or just the simply blankness that seemed to follow along with many night elves. He rarely, if ever, saw it so relaxed and lost to dreams; whenever they had shared sleep, she would take to his chest as a pillow, leaving her sleeping face away from him.

His eyes rose to check on Ascal, who hasn't moved, and taking that he was still asleep, Colin leaned down, kissing Kyra's warm cheek, his voice carrying a soft warmth of its own into her ear, "Alor'el ador'e."

He remained close to her, though was careful not to wake her. Immediately thereafter, however, te same couldn't be said for Ascal, whose voice broke the air like a missile.

"How old are you?" the night elf questioned without moving, causing a sudden blush on Colin's face, "That's from, like, children's stories."

Colin looked away, almost as if hoping that staying quiet would make the situation disappear, though he knew it would do nothing. Instead of remaining silent, he simply changed the subject, hoping to achieve the same result.

After enough of a pause, he asked, sincerely, "Are you finding something of value in this adventure?"

Ascal didn't reply right away, as if thinking, "Don't think my outward appearance is a reflection of my mind. I've always been rather stoic, but to answer your question… I didn't at first, but I've grown to respect you. Aside from doing milady's bidding, I cant say it's not been rewarding to travel alongside others."

He paused, but sat up and slowly spun around toward the small fire, crossing his legs as he watched the flames, "I spent centuries being unwanted. In any capacity, it's been rather nice to be a part of a group, I suppose."

His eyes jerked away nervously, "The fact that you two are both rather pleasant doesn't hurt."

Colin smiled, "To be honest, you're sort of the night elf we read about as kids; sort of the stereotypical version of one that is. It's been interesting, to say the least, to learn more about you and your mission."

Ascal didn't answer him, and almost seemed to be on another plane, though not one upon the Dream. He was lost in his memories, even his eyes beginning to fade slightly. Colin's hand had constantly been stroking Kyra's hair, buy had now stopped as he watched the man intently.

"You cut my hair," he spoke up, suddenly, breaking back into reality, "My teacher would do that for me every time I woke from a slumber. He was like a father to me; I can't even believe how much it hurts that I cannot utter his name aloud for fear of dragonkin ears."

He lowered his head, "He was the only person who remained steadfast in his support of me. Even Hamuul had given up on me, and I suspect even Cenarius had done so."

Colin looked down to watch Kyra's gentle face, lost somewhere else, as he spoke, "If it's any consolation, I know what you're capable of, and I know what you're the messenger for. It may not be your power, but regardless, it might as well be by your hand if I am to have my life saved for countless lifetimes. For that alone, I couldn't leave you behind anywhere."

Ascal didn't reply, only waving Colin away as though directing him to sleep. Colin nodded, though before moving, Ascal decided to speak up finally, his voice a shaky whisper.

"If I seem despondent, it is only a distraction. The Scourge upon the Broken Isles have become ferocious, and I fear milady has been dispatched there to aid in the efforts."

He paused, "But I promise you, human; if the time comes, you have my full service. We're too close to our goal for distractions."

Colin watched his dark face, illuminated by the fire. Despite his warm words as of a few minutes ago, his face seemed so cold, as though experiencing a deep loss. Most often, nothing shone on Ascal's face, even when his voice actually inflected. It reminded him of the first time he'd met Kyra and her face was of constant stone.

"Are you worried?" Colin asked, bluntly, catching an apprehensive glare from the other.

"…of what?"

Staying low, Colin's face took to stone itself as he quietly muttered, "You know who."

If not for the darkness that immediately covered Ascal's upper body as he shot back away from the fire, Colin was nearly certain that he might have witnessed a blush from the man. or, perhaps, simply the equivalent of one.


	13. Chapter 13

Darkness over Hyjal was already unique from the rest of Kalimdor, but when it came to the firelands, the flames and lava both turned the landscape a sickly color of brown and orange. Smoke often filled the sky, usually covering up the moon simply to increase the strength of the earthen light. A rather large cauldron, simply used to create a thick smog of smoke, would be wheeled around nightly, its sole purpose to hide these lands from the cold moonlight.

That had been the major addition of the Majordomo, Fandral Staghelm, and to be sure, the cauldron stayed in his region of the firelands. On this night, the moon was nearly halfway through its waxing, and as such, the moonlight had progressively shine brighter. One of Staghelm's lieutenants grabbed an armful of rotted wood, along with a pouch of smoke-inducing powder, and chucked the two items into the cauldron, looking up to see the effects. The moonlight had been showing through in strands, though with this new plume, it vanished behind a veil of darkness.

The lieutenant sighed in relief, turning toward the only entrance into the firelands, as though in expectation. He almost seemed disappointed, but only slightly, and he spun back toward his quarters.

At this time, two night elves were approaching that same entrance upon with that lieutenant's gaze was focused. While they both appeared somewhat guarded, they both knew the turns to make and where to go. These lands weren't exactly scarce, but there were the occasional worker or soldier, and the man, specifically, received skeptical glares from the lot of them.

"They keep staring," he grumbled aloud, "We're up here all the time; you'd think they, of all people, would be used to it."

His partner, a woman, remained forward, but offered her own opinion, "Perhaps it's not out of unfamiliarity, but fear."

The man shrugged, "If you say so. I'd much rather that be the case."

These two were here on a mission, albeit a lengthy one. They had moved here a few years ago, putting up a home quite a ways away from the firelands, though they would trek up here, every other week or so, to meet someone. Their son.

A painful tingle ran down his spine as the two of them came into view of a small outpost that served as the first line in defense of Ragnaros' land. For Eldris and Cayssarin, however, it served as their link to their son, Kelaeth.

Their arrangement was an odd one. Their first time coming here, they were to be taken prisoner, however, the two of them obliterated their forces. Though the two didn't kill anybody, before reenforcements had arrived, they had pleaded their case to the commanding officer, who unadmittedly had become frightened of the two anyway. In this odd deterrence, the two elves were allowed to answer, though not without stipulation.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Eldris told, as he did every time the two came here.

His wife remained steadfast in her gait, "He's my son too."

This exchange occurred, in the same exact way, every trip the two made here, with the same conclusion.

"The moon is brighter than usual. Should be a good sign," Cayssarin noted, "Though I keep hearing about the reemerging Scourge. Elune must feel the need to empower some."

Eldris nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't reply verbally, which he never would. He'd been closer to the Scourge and demons than most, and had little plans to return. His absence from fel magic had faded his prolific tattoos, but they were still clearly etched into his skin, constantly reminding him of his past.

It all seemed so easy, now that he faced an evil from within his own child. He would so easily maim or kill anything in his way as an Illidari, but suddenly, his son's fate proved enough to bring the man to his knees, anger and regret welling up within him.

His wife remained more calm under the surface. Perhaps she was emboldened by her ability to bring Eldris back from the "dark side", but this journey for her son had gone on long enough to wear down her resolve. Still, she continued on, stone faced, making sure that, when she did break down, it was held for when her husband was not also being torn apart.

They approached the small collection of defensive armaments that served as the outpost, and were greeted by a white haired night elf, clad in blood red armor whose ends had all been burned to black. He sighed at the arrival, but nevertheless remained there to speak to the visitors.

"You poor bastards back again?" he spoke, notelessly.

Eldris turned to Cayssarin, noticing the fury in her eyes, and deciding to speak for the both of them, "We're just here to see our son."

The guard scoffed as he reached I to his pocket, "You must know somebody; you couldn't be getting in and out otherwise."

He pulled out two sets of iron handcuffs, throwing them at Eldris' feet, "Well, maybe not, considering what you two have to do to get in there. and yet you two continue. I just don't get it."

Without reply, Eldris grabbed the cuffs and carefully snapped them onto Cayssarin's wrists before doing the same to himself. The guard walked back off, shaking his head as he snapped his fingers. At that signal, two fierce looking soldiers rounded the corner, each with a large branch of a log with a hook up near the top.

Eldris sighed, watching his wife's face, which remained firm, and then he shook his head; again, just as he'd done every time they'd come here. Her face remained stoned as well, continuing the patterns. She'd been around evil such as this before, and knew well enough that such things were designed to break you; make you truly vulnerable. While Eldris held more concern, he knew just as well what she did. As long as the both of them held on, they could make it another day back up here.

One of the grunts spun his finger around, as though not needing to explain the procedure. Eldris quickly reached down and pulled his shirt up over his body; even with handcuffs on, he'd done this enough to maneuver hastily. He only took a cursory glance at himself, completely unwanted, and noticed his fel markers, meant to cover and distract from the scars he was expected to endure as an Illidari.

He never cared to see himself in any sort of capacity. Whenever he did, he felt a forceful tug in his lungs; to the point where, on one occasion, Cayssarin was unconsciously tracing a finger along his chest, not knowing she was using his tattoos as tracks. He knew them by memory, and knew where her finger trailed. He had nightmares for a week.

Although this ritual had become almost second nature to the two, one thing had occurred the first time this had happened that wouldn't happen again.

Eldris stopped looking over to check on Cayssarin.

She had managed to pull her own shirt over her head, leaving her topless, with only a strap around her to serve as a bra. She was afforded that, at least, though even this was almost enough to infuriate Eldris their first time here, though this wasn't why he stopped keeping an eye on her.

"Staghelm's really looking for assurances," the guard told them from a distance, counting something on his paper, "From one Kaldorei to another, I suggest you quit while you're ahead."

Eldris stood with his head high, an odd stance of pride, given his situation, "Is our son still one in his legions?"

The guard rolled his eyes, turning around, "Just warning you."

Cayssarin remained unmoved, her stare peering off into some other space. She'd been a warrior for many years, and had the scars to prove it, though they all were eclipsed by her back. Her husband had been branded just the same, though had enough scars and marks that his back had been beyond much recognition for years, but her skin had still retained some sense of purity, at least until this had begun.

The guard snapped his fingers again and the two soldiers grasped at the shackles attached to the two, pulling them toward the towering poles that shot up from the ground, having been stuck into holes in the ground. The soldier, a tauren, who had a hold of Eldris lifted the chains up, examining the height, before dropping them and returning to the pole, pulling it out before adding more sand, ultimately to make the pole taller.

"He wants 'em deep today, boys," the guard muttered, not exactly thrilled with his words, "The Majordomo doesn't exactly want them coming along all the time. Make it hurt."

The soldiers grasped the links and carefully lifted the two night elves up, hanging them both from the hook at the top of the poles. Eldris kept his eyes closed, calmly, as he felt himself being lowered, his feet awaiting the comfort of the burnt ground beneath him…though it never came.

A shiver ran through him as he hung there, suspended, his arms feeling as though about to rip in half immediately. He flexed his muscles, attempting to hold himself up somewhat, and a sweat broke over him, nearly immediately. His eyes quickly spun to the side of his socket, but froze, remembering his pact, just the slightest bit of space separating his eyes and his wife.

She had been left dangling as well, though with less weight, she found it much more tolerable, though she was just as surprised when she failed to reach ground. She shut her eyes as tight as she could, attempting to distract from the pain, knowing full-well that this was far from the worst of it.

She wasn't prohibited from looking at Eldris, however, so her eyes wandered over toward him, seeing a strain on his face that even pained her. She lowered her head, gritting her teeth until she could taste the salt of her tears running down and into her mouth.

Behind both of them, the two grunts pulled out their swords before wandering over toward a small chasm in the ground were lava flowed, dipping their instruments in. Upon returning, both Eldris and Cayssarin could feel the heat from the swords, even with them a decent amount of space away.

To see their son, it had been agreed that this would be done every time they arrived to see him. They would be held up and would have the symbol of Staghelm's druids carved into their skin, so as to brand them. The addition of the lava coating only made the metaphor that much more accurate.

The slicing of skin held no pain, simply the tearing of nerves, which was something both Eldris and Cayssarin knew well anyway. Eventually, upon escalation to discourage their return, the lava was added. Now the slicing included molten liquid slightly pouring into their fresh wound, though also melting their skin together to ensure they wouldn't die from blood loss.

The guard here wasn't a fan, finding it rather grotesque, but was far more in awe of these two's devotion to their son. Even he couldn't ascertain why his superior officer would abandon these two, though he assumed it was far more complicated a matter.

Carefully, their backs were cut into, the swords tracing into a distinct shape. The process took, usually, ten minutes, but with the added strain of being hung, it felt like hours to the two. Eldris bore the brunt of it, and once Cayssarin managed another glare toward him, she realized why she'd forced him not to do the same to her.

In a second, the loud BANG of chains being torn asunder crashed through the air, mere moments before their bodies crashed into the ground. Eldris quickly curled up, stroking his arms as Cayssarin hobbled over toward him, her head down to hide her tears.

Neither of them had made a sound.

They took a moment to recover. Cayssarin carefully found a chance to wipe away his face before doing the same to her own. Any chance for these people to see them weak, given their reason for being allowed this in the first place, might ruin the entire arrangement.

Cayssarin pulled away and examined her husband's back. The strain from being hung and made the scar extra prominent, even poking through the rest of his scars. The pain from her own back coursed through her body as she rubbed a finger across the ridge, only to jerk back as Eldris took to his feet, walking along without confirmation from the guard.

"Go," the Druid of the Flame muttered into the air, dishearteningly, "and I pray you two do not return."

Neither of them spoke a word, only reaching out to grasp at their shirts. For quite some years, perhaps once or twice a month, this had been their ritual, though progressively becoming worse. Not once did they ever utter a sound or cry. Even when they returned home to heal their wounds, their periodic meltdowns were not due to their own physical torture.

Such was the price of seeing their son, now.


	14. Chapter 14

Crossing into the valley beneath Hyjal was easy, all things considered. Indeed, the Legion crisis in the Broken Isles had served as a distraction, though it also called to its attention their most staunch supporter in Ysera, who was now busy with reclaiming Val'Sharah from an old nemesis, Xavius.

Ascal had gathered as much on their way here, and while his life had been consumed mostly with the Emerald Dream and druidic culture, Kyra was very much familiar with the satyr. Her father was an Illidari, after all; he'd signed a rather devious pact to ensure the Legion would never return. He told high tales, most of which her mother stopped, about the Legion's evil deeds and machinations pertaining to destroying all of Azeroth, as if seeing which child would easiest get nightmares.

Despite her stories, Kyra's attention returned to their mission at hand once the three had entered the valley of this sacred mountain. The peaks had long been foreshadowed in the sky far ahead of them, but now, they rose up in magnificence, suddenly making this final leg seem impossible.

"If we can't procure a hippogryph, which might not be possible anyway, the mountain sort of swirls around Nordrassil, making for an easy ascent," Kyra slowly explained, apprehensively, "Assuming all goes well."

Colin sighed, "Well, I suppose we're in store for some good luck for once. I still won't bank on that, though…"

Kyra smiled, "They have no idea I'm involved at all. If I need to use my status to finagle something here or there, I'll-"

She spotted a small encampment of night elf troops off in the distance, serving as a toll station for anybody ascending the mountain, "See? What'd I tell you!"

Looking off toward the station, Ascal poignantly, "I don't think even you could get us through there unnoticed. They're there for a reason; the Legion is plotting to assault Nordrassil."

Kyra spun around, "What?!"

His eyes were open, but a hint of rainbow starlight made its way into them, Ascal's voice carrying a wispy quality, "We must ascend…up the steep cliffs."

In utter shock, Kyra's mouth fell as wide as her eyes before Ascal returned to normal, staring back at her, confused. Colin sighed, shaking his head, knowing this to have been a possibility. Normally, he would have spent an hour coming up with alternatives, but considering who was speaking to them, he felt he had little choice in the matter.

"Okay," he began, "Kyra, you go the normal way, and reach the peak yourself. They'll be much less suspicious up there about you borrowing some hippogryphs, and if we can't make it up, you can ride down and get us one by one. We'll try to stay where the patrols can't see up, or rather, I will; Ascal here could probably scale this cliff as a mountain goat or something."

Unamused, Ascal retorted, "We have no "mountain goat" guardians, human…"

Kyra looked away, agitated at the idea, but she had heard what Colin had heard. She bit her lip, shaking her head slowly as her eyes traced up the mountain. It was steep, but manageable at some points; one could definitely make their way up on foot, carefully.

"Fine" she sighed, exasperatingly, shaking her head again, "I hate it, but I mean, we have little choice, given the nature of the command."

Colin nodded in contrast, looking up the mountain, "I mean, I've climbed mountains before. once. and not to the top. At least this time, I'll have an aspect of Malorne to help me."

Nodding approvingly, Ascal acknowledged his comment as the three began descending into the valley. Colin's eyes only periodically left the mountain peaks as they gently pressed onward.

As they went along, a particularly steep drop arrived and Colin took Kyra's hand to help her down, though he didn't let it go once they'd gone on, which she noticed. She clutched onto him tightly, unaware if he was scared or just apprehensive. She turned to him to find him already looking back at her, his eyes running up and down her face as though to memorize it.

Softly, he spoke up, "Have you always wanted to be the people in your childhood bedtime stories?"

She immediately blew up red in the face, shocked, "W-What?!"

Colin grinned, "That whole "Alor'el ador'e" thing; that's from an old night elf story, right? I figured it was one you were probably told while getting a bedtime story, or I guess something similar? Teldrassil doesn't exactly have-"

"Where did y-… How did…" she stammered nervously, but Colin only smiled and rubbed his thumb across the skin of her hand.

"It's fine," Colin chuckled, "I was just curious. It's kind of sweet really. Kind of like wanting a husband to propose the same way your father did to your mother, though I guess that would be rather odd, given their, uh, "courtship", I suppose?"

Still enflamed, Kyra looked away, but Colin reached around her shoulder and pulled her into him as they walked, "It's okay. I love this side of you. I'll need this while I'm heading up there."

She turned slightly, enough to peek at him from the edge of her eyes, before quickly reached up to kiss him, slightly, "I'll need that. I'm not nearly as mean as you."

Colin grinned, kissing her back gently as they reached the path that now symbolized their parting. Ascal solemnly approached Kyra and bowed to her respectfully, before taking her hand.

"It has been an honor, Shadowmoon," he acknowledged, "You're plenty resourceful, strong-willed, and I found nothing but comfort with you by my side. A nice change of pace from traveling alongside your companion."

Colin and Kyra both stared at him, surprised to see a smirk reaching across his face, "What?"

Confused, Kyra replied, "Are you leaving for good or something?"

Ascal shook his head, "Not at all. I know we're at the climax of our journey, but I just can't shake the feeling that I won't be seeing you for an extended amount of time. Perhaps it's just the confusion at the Broken Isles; milady's thoughts are seeping through the memory."

Kyra watched him sadly, slowly pulling his hand toward her and into a hug, "I hope you're right. Keep an eye on him, okay?"

Sighing, Colin shrugged, "What, am I useless or something?"

Kyra grinned as Ascal pulled away, bowing again before walking off toward the mountain in order to give the two some privacy. Colin gave an unenthused stare toward him, only to have his attention stolen by tightly wrapped arms around his waist. Immediately, his mind went back to their first night together, and from the distant look on Kyra's face, she was there as well. It seemed so long ago now; but while they had been with one another at their strongest, they now realized they had seen one another through their weakest, or at least, the weakest one would ever hope to encounter.

"Are you going to tell me that story?" he asked, wryly.

She smiled, "Maybe after we meet again."

"Fair enough," Colin grinned.

They held each other for quite some time, despite being in some sort of hurry. Not wanting to let the other one go, they simply submitted themselves to this moment; Colin taking in her sort hair against his cheek, how everything about her was so soft, yet remained strong at the same time, and Kyra taking in her safe she felt being surrounded by his warm embrace.

Eventually, they knew, it had to come to an end, and while they had initially joined in a fun dialogue, their faces were now a mix between being more hardened and, yet, more distressed at the thought of parting. Colin reached up to hold his hand against her cheek, his eyes not wanting to abandon her stare.

"I'll see you up there."

She nodded, "We may be being pushed toward dealing with my brother, yet I'm more worried about you dealing with my parents."

She laughed quickly, reaching up to pull a tear away before returning to her strong demeanor, "Let's just make it up, though, first."

"Yeah," Colin agreed with a smile, leaning in to kiss her one more time.

Pulling away from her lips was pain, and pulling away from her embrace was tragedy. But Colin knew he had a mission to do; a goal so desperately close to attaining. He could pull away from her for a moment, if it meant returning for millenia. He didn't turn back as he approached Ascal and the two went off, which Kyra thought was a bit dashing, though she probably would have preferred another glance.

Kyra approached the outpost, which turned out to be rather larger up close. It was all makeshift, save for some armaments that had been left after the war with Archimonde, meaning that the arrangements were, more than likely, temporary. Several glaive throwers lined the perimeter as well; obviously they were expecting a rather tenacious foe.

A sentry ran out to greet Kyra, who was still wearing her feathered armor, emblazoned with a crest of the Silverwings, making an easy enough target to spot. Her junior bowed low upon arriving, awaiting Kyra's response, which surprised her.

"Oh!" she stuttered in shock, "Yeah, um, at ease, Sister."

The sentry acquiesced, lifting herself up as Kyra apologized, "Sorry; I'm usually with my Silverwing sisters, as my equals. I'm not usually the one commanding respect."

"We're more than accustomed to demonstrating respect, Sister," the sentry replied, boldly, "Please allow me to escort you through. May I ask what business you have upon Hyjal?"

Kyra eyed her, confused, "I'm sorry, is something the matter? I meant to ask; these are tremendous defenses for any mountain."

"Just a precaution. There would be more here were anything more concrete, but we all know the Legion's interest in this place. Should anything arise, we're more than prepared to stand by until reinforcements arrive. We noticed you and thought you were, perhaps, our commanding officer."

Again confused, Kyra spoke up, "Hold on, you're without leadership?"

"Iyanas Mistshadow was commanding, though she was called away a few days ago. We have no right to assume, however."

Kyra shook her head, "Well, no, I'm not here to commandeer anything. The most I've ever commanded in my life, anyway, was teaching a nightsaber how to sit, so that's just as well."

Nodding as though missing the joke, the sentry mentioned for Kyra to go on ahead as they reached the encampment, which comprised of just a few Sentinels, who all seemed out of place with their still faces and rigid postures. Kyra walked along, having been mentioned toward the largest tent in the place.

"By Elune," her guide muttered quietly, "She's back! I had no idea; I've been patriling for two days now!"

Kyra noticed the orange flag that flew in the breeze outside the tent, signifying Iyanas' being in there. She sighed with relief, now that she knew she wasn't about to get caught up in commanding this place herself.

Her guide ran on ahead, leaving Kyra to walk on alone. She took this chance to stare up to the top of the mountain. It seemed so much taller now, and a pang of guilt ran through her like a sickly snake. It was all she could to worry about Colin, and here she was taking the easy way. At least, for now.

She turned back ahead, quickly noticing the entrance to the large tent was filled with the body of Iyanas Mistshadow. Kyra looked upon her with no real emotion; she had heard the name, but hadn't know much of anything about her. Now, however, Kyra had become acquainted with her piercing eyes, very well.

Unnerved, she lowered her gaze, but suddenly came to a conclusion. Had her cover been blown? or rather, had somebody found out that she'd been traveling with a criminal? She returned to look at Iyanas again, who had turned as though to speak to somebody behind the wall of the great tent. Kyra then darted her eyes out toward the mountain.

Should she run?

It was all speculation, but yet it was a risk she would have crossed fire to not have to take. She caught sight of a collection of boulders outside the camp, and after looking back quickly to check Iyana's stare, she darted off into the rocks, silently.

Iyanas had to do a double-take once she'd tur ed to find that Kyra had disappeared. She angrily gritted her teeth, grabbing a nearby sword and walking purposefully out into the field, looking around for any sight of her.

"Shadowmoon!" she shouted, bitterly, "Come out!"

There was no response, and she hurriedly walked into the field, surveying the surrounding area, her eyes like a hawk finding its prey. Her subordinates began fanning out in search, multiplying the danger.

Kyra cursed under breath as she remained crouched behind a boulder up on the hill. She had already chosen a way up the hill, and now expressed her thanks that she was alone, being able to skillfully dodge from one shadow into another.

Iyanas' eyes turned up toward the hill where Kyra was. While the latter had just a few months with the Silverwings, Iyanas knew of this and also knew that he was superior to this Teldrassilian upstart. She had servedFeathermoon Stronghold, and had been chosen on multiple occasions to work alongside the Windrunners. In short, Kyra was outmatched, and in not knowing her adversary's credentials, it could prove to be her downfall.

Still, Kyra remained patient, and if she wasn't already apprehensive, the shouting of Iyanas reinforced that thought, "Focus on those boulders. That's the first place she'd take off to."

Slighted, Kyra grumbled under her breath. Noting such things aloud was a common night elf tactic to unnerve the hunted, and she suddenly realized all too well that Iyanas knew every step she would take. Looking around, she began thinking of what a Sentinel would not do, but given the landscape, she had few options, regardless.

Knowing her time was wanting, she pressed on, carefully, not taking a step that was not concealed. Her eyes caught the proximity of the sentries, and she took great care while rushing, albeit still slowly.

As though such a thing were verbal, Kyra was shocked that she could tell that Iyanas was grinning. Out the corner of her eye, despite their massive distance, it was almost like her smirk sent minute shockwaves through the air.

"Got you."

A swirl of magic sprung up from Kyra's feet, alerting the sentry's to her position. In a second, she broke into a mad dash up the mountain, not bothering to look back. She hopped over fallen trees, scrambled through a thicket, and circled around one of the bigger trees once she stopped hearing the running of feet behind her. She peeked back around to where she had come from, seeing nothing.

She sighed in relief, turning back against the tree and sliding down it to sit, resting her head back against its bark. Her eyes were closed to focus on her breathing, but opened slightly to watch the mountaintops that surrounded her. She followed one particular cluster of tall cliffs down to the ground, coming to an acre of rocky hills to her right.

She turned away, but right as the view left her eyes, she saw someone standing there between two larger rocks. Quickly, she spun her head around once more to catch who was standing there to find nothing. She realized this to be a incredible non-issue, however, she had the faintest feeling that it was her brother who had been standing there, watching her. She slowly stood up and crept over, making sure she hadn't been followed.

Carefully, she entered the large collection of boulders that littered this field, keeping an eye out for anything, or anyone, jumping out at her. She peeked behind only a few rocks before staring off into the empty plains, shaking her head to herself.

She turned around to return to the path, but there, she came face to face with her brother, Kelaeth. Her eyes opened wide; he'd been gone for decades, and now here he was, dressed in pilgrims clothes, a slight smile on his face.

"Sister," he muttered, matter of factly.

In shock, Kyra's eyes shook as her hand reached out to touch him, as though she hadn't believed this was real. Inches from his face, he stepped back. One step. Two steps. He inched backward, with Kyra following stride for stride as though lost in the thought that this was an illusion. Despite any ill will, upon seeing him again, that monumental respect for him came to the forefront, and she was subservient to his every step.

Three steps.

Four steps.

Nothing.

Kyra's foot reached beyond any solid ground, into a hole in the ground. Her body fell forward, in slow motion; her mouth now agape in surprise. Her brother disappeared above her eyesight, his feet the last thing she saw before she was met with blackness. The hole wasn't large, and her face smashed into rock, thrashing her body backward, casting her down into that abyss, her body crashing down a wall of jagged stone, her only saving grace being that she had been knocked cold.

She came to a stop at the bottom, blood dribbling down her face from her forehead. The light from above only seemed to tease her body with escape, though when she woke, she would have to seek it elsewhere. Not that her brother was going to cover the entrance; he wasn't even there. He never had been to begin with.


	15. Chapter 15

Colin panted heavily as he trudged up one large slope after another. Ascal had had an easy time at it as an elk, but in solidarity, at some point he had changed back to a humanoid form, though he was just as much out of shape in this state. Still, they were making progress, making sure to take breaks when out of sight from the main roads below.

Ascal had begun to slow down, which Colin found odd, as his body seemed to be much better suited for this than his own. His legs began to tremble, and Colin began wondering if he hadn't reverted to this form because he was no longer able to hold his other form.

They pressed on, but eventually, Ascal stumbled, quickly regaining his balance and kneeling there for a moment, as though unsure of himself. Colin watched him from behind, not sure what course of action to take.

"Here, let's just slow down and take a break," he suggested, taking a step to where he was a single stride behind Ascal.

The night elf replied with a low, brusque, "No", as he stood back up, his entire body visibly shaking.

"Hey, look at yourself," Colin went on, almost pleading, "You're not doing anybody any favors if you kill yourself up here."

Ascal went along, silently. As far as emotion went, he was demonstrating his capacity to be emotional, though it dismayed Colin that it happened to be anger. They pressed on, with Ascal continuing to gradually become weaker. Colin found himself trailing closer behind, just in case he were to fall backward in exhaustion.

Finally, after another stumble, followed by a heavy cough, Colin couldn't go on, "We're stopping here for a while."

Ascal continued without reply, until Colin angrily stomped up to him and grasped his shoulder, "Hey!"

"We continue!" Ascal shouted with an anger that caused the air around them to tremble.

Colin shouted back, "We're stopping so you can rest!"

In a split second, Ascal whipped around angrily, knocking Colin off the edge, though he just as quickly snatched his collar out of the air. Colin stared at him in fright, but his eyes softened as soon as he noticed Ascal's face

His face was red with anger, yet endless streams of tears were being drawn down his cheeks, leading up to his distant eyes, torn between a natural blue and a shade of rainbow glints. Colin gasped as Ascal pulled him up to gain some footing, not bothering to wipe away his tears as he turned back around.

"I have to get there. Before she…"

Colin watched him sadly as he continued, wobbling along, "What's going on? What's happening to her?"

Ascal gasped for breath as his heart raced, shaking his head, "Her time is near. It's…"

Suddenly, Ascal lifelessly teetered off the cliff, in slow motion, down toward an endless path of jagged rock facing. Colin's eyes watched, wide, as they followed his large mass of torso falling to its side, his arms following along. In a second, Colin took a quick step and lunged out with his entire body, grasping onto the man's leg as his balance was lost to gravity.

Colin's eyed nearly blew out of his face as the weight of this man immediately came across his arms; the strain grasping at every muscle in his body. Colin shut his eyes tightly, but that only made the sharp rocks under his body dig into his skin even more. He gasped for breath, desperately, finally looking around for a solution.

Below the two of them was a small outcrop of stone which Colin eyed to drop him onto, despite how narrow it was. He grunted volumes as he aimed the drop, his muscles bursting as he held Ascal's body away from the rock, and then suddenly dropping him before immediately rolling onto his back and clutching at his arms. The pain stung him like a thousand wasps, but he could tell that he heard the indescribable bang of a body on rock. He turned around as best he could, noticing Ascal safely laying there, alone, still not conscious.

At that, Colin realized that he had no idea whether or not the man was even alive. He remained laying there for a few minutes before managing to return to his feet, slowly creeping down toward the body. His pulse remained, to Colin's relief, as did the rainbow lights being emitted from underneath his shut eyelids.

"Ysera?" Colin whispered, gingerly, into his ear.

There was no response. Suddenly, Colin felt a great panic, turning up to see the tall mountain above, much of it still remaining unclimbed. He turned back to Ascal, a horrific reality setting in. For a moment, he thought about leaving him here, but knew that was not an option in this state.

He sighed as he bent down, pulling Ascal's torso up and atop his shoulders, the weight unbearably pushing down on him, forcing another great gasp of air out of him.

"We're getting out of here," he spoke to Ascal's lifeless body as though to a coma patient.

His first step was torture. Far from Colin being weak, Ascal was nothing but pure night elf muscle, and taller than many humans. Between the weight forcing Colin to crouch under the pressure, and the bit of legs dragging behind, Colin's face was already a mess of reddened skin and streaking tears.

"I've come too far to quit now," he grunted, digging into whatever reservoir he had left, untapped, "You've come too far to quit now."

He remained there, coping with this burden, hoping to become somewhat acclimated to it. It only depleted his energy further, but he was in no way expecting to make it to the top without stopping along the way. He watched his legs tremble endlessly, nearly letting the two of them down.

His second step was still torture. His knee gave way and he knelt down, lowering his head in relief, gasping for air. He knew he needed to continue adjusting Ascal's body to where, would they to collapse as they just had, the weight would force them into the mountainside.

The rocks underneath his knee dug deep into his bone, and he closed his eyes, digging just as deep into his own body.

"You love her," Colin spoke, lightly, between gradually uniform breaths.

He turned his head to look up at Ascal's face, his eyes still shimmering.

"That's why you never allowed anybody to take you as a student. You were waiting for her."

Colin's mind flew back to Kyra, his knee suddenly lifting from the ground. His teeth clinched hard enough that they might burst out of his mouth, but he found his foot and regained his balance, lowering his head to focus on the pain, trying to zone it out.

His third step remained torturous, but it led into his forth step, which was by no means easy, but it allowed him the knowledge that this was possible. His fourth became his fifth, and he pressed on, mightily.

"We're not stopping," he muttered between course breaths, "No we're not. We've both waiting too long to stop here. Our whole lives."

Thousands of miles away, the events in the Broken Isles had reached its climax. In a bid for a return to power, Xavius had returned to corrupt the Emerald Nightmare. In a desperate attempt to stave off the wickedness, Ysera allowed herself to become corrupted, though her self in the Emerald Dream remained.

That was when Ascal had begun to struggle. Without a physical vessel to handle, it took so much more effort to remain in touch with her servant. Finally, however, in an act that even fazed Ysera herself, her body was sacrificed underneath the watch of her mother, shaking not only her spirit, but coursing through Ascal's psyche, for she remained within him.

In fact, her spirit within him was the only thing keeping his body alive. His spirit had been cast off somewhere. Somewhere not even of Azeroth. One could say Colin's words had gone into one ear, and out from a whole other person's.

Colin trudged slowly up the steep paths of the mountain. His lungs were moments away from exploding at any minute, but he wasn't about to stop until he reached his limit. In an effort to distract himself, he had taken to talking to himself, as well as Ascal, oftentimes just spouting off random stories.

"I bet you saw her early on," he spoke, wryly, "I bet you saw her and you had your mind made up right then and there. That's how it usually happens. And nothing would end your devotion; not even a thousand slumbers. Maybe she even knew. I'd actually bank on that; why else would she become interested in love? Maybe she knew that's the very thing coursing through your heart."

His dry breath drew like daggers, "She won't leave you; she's still here. She cares about you. And yet she offered this opportunity to a mere mortal like me… She didn't need me, or Kyra. So why?"

He stopped for a moment for a breather, leaning against the rockside, though not daring to sit or remove Ascal from his back, as he wouldn't be able to return to this state again. He looked up into the cosmos, noticing that the moon had become full, despite it not having been earlier. Surrounding it were the brightest starts; stars he hadn't remembered ever seeing.

They were a constellation of a dragon.

Colin lowered his head, before immediately checking on Ascal's face to witness the rainbow lights again, which were still illuminated. He was confused, but knew that, regardless, time was not on his side. Ironically, the very event that was supposed to distract Alexstrasza only now meant they had little time to space.

He continued, the tears continuing to roll down his eyes from the pain, shaking his head as his steps became shorter and shorter. Against his best judgement, he fell to his knees, falling to his side, causing Ascal's body to roll down and against the mountainside.

Colin covered his eyes at the prospect of losing his immortality, though he quickly realized that it wasn't the promise of immortality he might be losing. He was losing Kyra. He was losing endless years alongside her; losing thousands of years of love, comfort, the occasional heartbreak. He was losing countless mornings in bed with her, rolled up together for warmth; losing long nights staring into these very same stars that now seemed only to mock his quest.

If Ysera was finished, what hope did he have?

His hands covered his face as he cried, his heart breaking alongside his dreams. His left hand, however, covered more than his eye. In that darkness came moonlight; a sudden, flickering of pale bluish white. He opened his eyes and saw that it was being reflected within his hands on his face. Wide-eyed, he noticed his cheek began to glow.

He hadn't seen it in almost a year, but his cheek was certainly glowing with that same handprint given to him so many moons ago. He turned to the body of Ascal, his eyes still shooting off rainbows underneath his eyelid, but within that same pattern came the same glow from his cheek.

"Fine," he spoke, rubbing his eyes of tears, standing up again, "If that's how it is. I spend so many years asking anybody to help me; help my family. I spend so much time praying to the gods who bless so many, yet not once do they protect my family. Never did they offer us a means to leaving that place which allowed my mother and father to die."

He stared up into the full moon, angrily, "I spent so much time doing for you, the Titans, whomever. Not once did any of you do anything for me! So you know what? I'll take them to the summit. I'll carry this burden."

He stomped over to Ascal and lifted him, which seemed so much easier now, given this renewed vigor. He watched his glowing eyes disappear behind his head, looking up the pathway, which seemed to end. They had gotten a lot closer to the top, but it was still quite a ways.

Colin studied the sloping mountaintop and pulled Ascal's arms over his shoulders, clutching the sleeves of his shirt and tying them around his wrist, tightly. He pulled his belt from his waist and tied it around both of their torsos, watching the cliff face the entire time.

"I'll show you how a god is supposed to act," he breathed, incensed, at Elune, "I'll make my own god damned miracle."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really care for prose-heavy writing, since I know how much of a drag it is to read, so I hope you can manage to at least skim though this; I'd completely understand. I'd like to think it's important though. I'd actually written a "filler" segment of the story before the three made it to Hyjal, and scrapped it since I realized it was pretty much worthless, so I like to think I understand when not to write stuff like this.

Kyra's eyes flickered open at some point, though she had no idea how much time had gone by. She knew the sun had been up when she fell down here, wherever "here" was, and that the light that broke through the various cracks in the ceiling had now gone. Her back ached as she lifted her torso, looking around in the darkness, unable to see much of anything.

Teldrassil never had night, or even day, if one's definition of that takes the sun into account. Outside, one could rely on starlight to guide them, but in the darkest of depths, you were truly at the mercy of whatever light came from your own eyes.

Kyra, of course, was aware of this. She was familiar with this situation. All too familiar for her taste. In fact, the reason she was down here, now, was more or less the same reason for this familiarity. Her mind recalled to that chilling time in that cave, so vividly that her spine tingled at the thought. She realized quickly, however, that her sister was not going to be saving her this time.

She sighed lightly as she brushed the dirt away from her face, leaning to her side to push herself up. Her first leg did fine, however, as soon as her other leg had the slightest bit of pressure, a sharp pain shot up the side of her body, causing a loud scream from her to echo throughout the system of caves, her body crashing back to the ground.

She clutched her thigh, desperately, the pain unbearably tearing through her muscles. She must have torn something on the way down, she figured, and she looked around the darkness, unsure of how to continue.

Her mind wandered back to her childhood, facing the same situation. Her hand reached up to her scalp, finding the same warm liquid she had felt before. For a moment, she quivered, but immediately wore experience on her face. She wasn't about to break down again.

She tore her sword's sheath from her side, whipping it around her body and pulling her sword out, much to her shock, finding that her sword was glowing. Her eyes grew wide at the sight; tendrils of purple and blue light wrapped around the blade, which had been invisible during the day. Now, however, it illuminated the cave around her.

A tear ran down her cheek as she smiled. Ovuun, the bastard, she though; he had sacrificed some moon rock when he'd smelted this blade for her use. Now, separated from Elune's view, Kyra managed to find her light, regardless.

She took the sheath and placed it beside her leg, using the strap to wrap it alongside her lower leg, acting as a sort of splint. If she could get to that wall…that wall that, so many years ago had been her lifeless, cold lifeline…she could support herself on her one good leg.

She took another awestruck glance at her sword, shaking her head in amazement, and carefully lifted herself up. Using her sword, carefully, she managed to hobble over to the wall, collapsing just before making it, but she was close enough. She took a few deep breaths and made her way back up once more, now resting alongside the wall, which was warmer than she recalled.

She hopped along, slowly, keeping hold of the wall with one hand and clutching her sword in the other. She held it up to light up the many nooks, crannies, and pathways she passed, though it did little to unnerve her. If there were any vicious beings down here, she couldn't exactly fight back.

With her hobble, she inevitably pressed on, calmly at that. She came to a slight chasm that ran through the course of the cave she'd been going through. Slowly, she made her way down a few slopes, but she paused, lifting her sword up to see that the path ahead of her was rather narrow; a problem, given her lack of balance with only one leg.

She sighed as she carefully examined the way ahead. Above that path was a setting of grooves worked out in the ceiling due to erosion, some of which were deep enough for her sword to fit through. Perhaps she could use it to help balance? She had nowhere else to go now…

She mustered up some courage as she approached the miniscule ledge. She turned to her side and rested the entire back of her body against the stone wall, closing her eyes as though to focus. Slowly, she lifted her arm and stuck her sword into the rock, finding it sturdy, and then hopping just barely down the small foothold.

She gasped in anticipation, shaking her head at the situation. Still, she remained focused, her eyes fixed on the other end of the gap where there was more ground beneath. She hopped again, losing her balance, but quickly pushed up onto her sword to retain it.

She took a minute now to compose herself. Her breathing had become rushed, and she understood how dangerous such a thing could be in this situation. She looked painfully across the chasm, shaking her head at just how insane such a thing was. She knew, however, that nobody would ever find her here, and even beyond that, she knew she had to prove herself, if only in her own mind. Vylira wasn't going to magically save her; not this time. She would have to finish the journey she had started that day as a child.

Her balance restored, and her heart relaxed, she gently removed her sword from the groove, and pulled it down to her side to rest her arm, closing her arm to focus. She was able to rest her other foot down to held, even without putting pressure on it, allowing her mind to wander a bit.

She thought about Colin, knowing that, at this rate, he and Ascal would be ascending the whole damn mountain. In the midst of these struggles, the comfort of his arms seemed to heavenly; her mind was transfixed upon those eyes that managed to stare back into her. They were so beautiful to her. Night elves only had light shining from their eyes, but Kyra looked into Colin's and saw how detailed and bright his blue irises were. With light for eyes, you could be looking anywhere, but with Colin's, she could tell he was looking straight back at her; his eyes resisting the brightness for her sake.

Lost in her mind, Kyra accidentally leaned forward, knocking off her balance, leaving her eyes to shoot open. In a near instant, her arms bolted upward, just an inch away from grazing her face, shoving her sword into the rock above. Her body was left bowed over the chasm below, held only by her foot and her hands. Her relief lasted but a brief moment.

A hollow sound of wood knocking against rock rang through the cave, reverberating through Kyra's ears as her eyes spun to her side in shock, her vision latching onto her necklace, bouncing away from the larger pathway she'd been seeking.

Without a moment's hesitation, Kyra ripped her sword from above her and she leapt mightily toward the totem, her body slamming violently against stone as she reached out, just barely missing the severed string that served as a lifeline. Her eyes narrowed as it disappeared into the darkness below.

Now in a panic, her breath burnt the air in front of her face as she quickly pulled her sword toward her, lowering it into the chasm to light up the various out-crops of rock formations. Sure enough, her statuette had landed just a few feet below her, and although relieved, her desperation nary subsided.

She slowly reached for it with her arm, but quickly realized that she'd be unable to grasp it. Thinking quickly, she pulled her sword back over and reached out toward the object, hoping to roll it close enough to the edge to where she could grab it.

The added length did little to reach it, and tears began to collect at her eyes the more that reality set in. She hurriedly spun the sword around, clutching it by blade, as she reached out with the hilt, somehow tapping at the rock around the totem in an attempt to move it, though it did nothing.

She cried out in anguish, pulling the sword back and slamming it against the rock she'd been laying on, as hard as she could, repeatedly, as her cries rang out. Her starlight tears fell down into the darkness, glinting as they went, until they burnt out in the distance.

Blood ran down her hand as her tantrum subsided, her red eyes staring longingly down to where Colin's gift lay. It was all she had, now, of him with her, and in this darkness, it was something she would never wish to abandon. She peered off into the distance of the cave ahead, seeing the faintest sign of light about a few hundred feet away.

Slowly, she stood up, spinning the sword back around to use as a cane to support herself. Without the light, she now only stared into darkness, but she knew what was there. The symbol of Colin's love for her, even before she had known it as such. She'd always thought she would be the first to figure everything, but when it came to her lover, he had known much earlier than she that'd they be together.

Her head held low, she pulling an arm across her eyes and pressed on slowly, her mind just barely collecting where she was going. She was sure Colin would understand, but it was her own self that she knew she'd let down. Her hand reached up to feel the empty space at her chest. While she knew the original was wrapped around his neck now, she couldn't help but feel a longing for the cord around her neck that almost felt like a tender embrace from her lover.

All this was still her mind when she stopped to look up a small embankment of stones; a wall collapse during an earthquake at some point. It had created a slope up toward a small crack that held the unmistakable vision of the moon, as though peeking in at her. Carefully taking step after step, Kyra eventually fell into a crawl as the passage grew too narrow, and as she finally reached the minute split in the stone, she jammed the hilt of her sword into it, pulling back on it like a crowbar.

The rock eventually came apart, and she began apprehensively knocking the hilt into the remaining chunks, though her hits became much more deliberate as her sorrow turned into anger. She grunted heavily with every slam of her sword, even tearing away at more rock than needed until she lowered her body, exhausted.

She took to her feet again and took a deep breath of fresh air. Her face and arms blackened by the dirt and grime within the cave, she looked up at the summit, seeing a visage of her brother in her mind's eye. He may have tried to lead her to death as a child because he despised her, but as her eyes shone through nearly closed eyelids with an unquenching fire, she understood that, this time, he had done the same, but because he knew she could kill him back.

She hobbled down the small hill toward the smooth ascent up Hyjal, almost as a battered warrior returning from a distant war. She knew her parents were up there as well, somewhere. She knew she had hesitated when she once contemplated the need to kill her brother. She knew she was at risk of losing so much.

She knew she'd be ready to kill. if it were to come to that.


	17. Chapter 17

A horrendously scraped up hand arose onto the cleft of the mountain, clutching desperately, shaking violently as a head followed behind it, bruised and bloodied. Colin's face was as red as a bloodvine, his eyes a beastial show of pure determination as he clutched onto the rock with his other hand, a ghostly gasp escaping his clenched teeth as his body trudged onto the rock, the body of Ascal following along, still strapped to his body.

As soon as he was confident that the two of them were safely atop the mountain, he immediately fell to his side, gasping desperately as his lungs furiously chugged on the thin air around him. He unstrapped Ascal and quickly leaned aside, releasing a quick stream of vomit onto the stones below before falling to his back, staring lifelessly into the sky.

His head dropped to its side, examining Ascal's face. He was still as lifeless as Colin felt, but his technicolored eyes had become incredibly faded since he last checked them. He wasn't sure if that meant Ysera, and his immortality, was dying, but Ascal seemed desperate enough to get up here in time.

Still unsure as to what was supposed to be accomplished here, Colin exhaustively rolled onto his back, lifting himself, but ultimately finding no strength left in his limbs. He had very little feeling left in them as well, but he didn't bother to stop trying. He groaned mightily as his muscles gave up on him, but he finally reached over to grab onto Ascal's arm, dragging it up a few inches before crawling along himself.

"Come on, you son of a bitch," his breath breaking through chapped lips, "Not yet. You'd do the same for me. You've got somebody waiting. I've got somebody…"

A he dragged the heavy elf along, Colin stared ahead, his vision going blurry between tears, exhaustion, and the strain. He saw two dark figures in the distance, making their way toward the two of them, though Colin kept going.

"K-… Kyra," he croaked as the tears in his eyes finally clouded his vision to where he could no longer see ahead of him.

In a spontaneous moment, his muscles finally let him down, his upper body settling into the dirt below. His eyes only remained open for a few moments before also succumbing to his body's limitations.

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Colin hadn't the stamina even to dream, though that didn't mean he immediately awoke on the other side of this swoon. He was mentally aware that he was asleep, and in that same space where dreams occur, but all he could tell was darkness. Endlessly so. He couldn't move in this space either; it was almost as though he was simply projecting his mind into some abyss, only for an amount of time he wasn't entirely sure of.

The first sense of his that awoke was his sense of smell. In that darkness, the unmistakable stench of spidersilk stew permeated that dark space, oddly enough coloring the walls of his mind. The colors matched his memories of Astranaar, oddly enough, though that was the first time he'd ever eaten the stuff. That smell simply awoke one memory that awoke another, and another; firing down multiple synapse until that momentum ended.

Next, he could feel. A hand had been resting on his arm, and although he couldn't say he had exactly memorized Kyra's touch, he was rather certain this hand was not hers. It was large, and incredibly rough; it had to have been a man's hand, but was it Ascal's? The dreamspace colored with dark hues of purples and blues: right outside of Colin's hovel where he'd first met Ascal and shook his hand.

In a rather bold explosion of further sensory recall, his sense of taste made a rather surprising appearance. He first noticed lips against his own, but immediately caught the flavors that he'd come to associate with Kyra's mouth; an indescribable mixture of skin and floral flair.

As if awakening to the concept of dreams once again, Colin was back in his room, watching Kyra and himself holding each other on that night so long ago. The two of them were curled up beside one another, Kyra's lips resting just beside Colin's ear.

"Alor'el ador'e," she muttered sweetly.

Watching the two, Colin sadly watched the scene play out, quietly repeating her words to himself. He looked down to his hand as he felt another's holding it. Unlike before, this hand was smooth and warm; it twirled around his fingers, seeking to somehow surround itself with his own fingers.

Judging by that kiss, Colin could only figure it was Kyra's hand, and with this ability to dream came an ability to think, somewhat.

Where was he?

He was with Kyra, surely. There was a man there, who didn't seem hostile. There was the unmistakable stench of warm spidersilk. Was he with Kyra and her parents? Had he survived the ascent? If he was with her parents, that was a rather bold kiss earlier, he thought.

Finally, his final two senses broke through at once. His eyes opened to an oak ceiling, a small and cozy little building that appeared like many other night elf homes. His neck ached to move, but Colin nevertheless looked around, surprised to come to a man sitting at a table nearby, tinkering with a sort of marble statuette.

The mad seemed to be appraising it, but he began turning it around in his hand, of which it was no bigger than, and pulled up a small chisel to carve out more of one of the curves.

Colin noticed what he could of his Illidari marks that appeared up his hands and neck. If this was truly Kyra's father, he'd imagined him for more fierce than the man patiently whitling down a tiny marble object. His body was incredibly bulky, however; seemingly taking up the entire room. Colin had a fading sense of apprehension, but still a feeling of comfort.

While he worked, the man finally noticed Colin's eyes having open, and he nodded toward him, acknowledging him without leaving his work, "So you're the man who stole my daughter."

While able to construct some sense of dreams in his sleep, Colin wasn't much able to think in his reality, so he only stared back at him, though he knew he felt some embarrassment somewhere in his mind.

The man smirked as he continued chiseling, "I'm just messing around with you. You certainly had a nap though, that's for certain. Even in my darkest days, I never had an eight day nap before, but I suppose you needed it if you truly did what it seemed."

Colin continued watching, knowing and understanding the man's words. His host looked at him for just a second, ascertaining his response, or lack thereof, and went on working, shaking his head sadly.

"Well, you still can't talk. Let's see, from the beginning: Your friend, Ascal, is in the other bed, just across the room. I actually had to build it by myself; which is a chore when you're up here. Poor guy had to lay on the ground in the meantime, but Kyra assured me that he was used to it, and her mother scolded her for giving up her Silverwing barracks and nightsaber to sleep on."

Colin could tell he was getting lost in the familial memories, but he suddenly returned to his previous train of thought, "Sorry. Anyway, like I said, you've been out for eight days. For that first day, Cays wasn't sure you were even coming back, but Kyra refused to leave your side. I'm rather surprised you woke up with her gone; she's only sitting in that chair there."

"She's out with her mother hunting some dinner," he confirmed, noticing his own activity, "I'm, uh… Well, I'm kind of just passing the time, I guess. Kyra told me to, uhm, stay back and do this because it was more important."

He slowly lowered the marble statuette into a nearby drawer and returned to the table, "So, eventually, you began showing signs of life. We would all make sure to talk to you and touch you if we walked by; I know it doesn't exactly translate to the outside world, but we never left a man or woman behind. I've seen many friends in a coma; I've gathered what to do in such a situation."

More curious than anything, Colin's eyes rolled around the room to examine further, but the man laughed, "There's no hurry; just get your rest, son. Elune is eternal, and you should act as such too."

He stood and walked over to Colin's bedside, sitting in the chair that had been, apparently, reserved for Kyra, "Old proverb, sorry. Your friend over there, he's…well, he's not in a coma. I'm not sure what's going on with him, to be perfectly honest; even his heartbeat has slowed to a strange cadence."

He held his hand against Colin's arm; the same hand he had felt in his mind's eye, "I'm Eldris, by the way. Sorry to just start touching you without a proper introduction; I've never exactly been one who, uh, I guess you'd say I'm not up on social norms."

Eldris' head lowered as he tried to hide a chuckle, "I-I remember the first time we moved to Starbreeze Village; poor Teronus greeted us with a handshake and I took it and pulled him right into my shoulder. He hit the ground; I've never seen such surprise in a night elf's face since!"

Colin could feel his arm vibrating from the laughter, which comforted him further. Everything about this man was rather assuring, which took Colin by surprise, his mind having been filled with odd tales of Illidari warriors mutilating bodies and wearing trophies of body parts around their necks. Even if he had reformed his life, could he really be this…gentle?

"You'll be able to move soon enough," Eldris reassured, "But you're probably bored, huh? Let's see; story…story…story…"

As he stammered, his eyes examined Colin's, which happened to be fixated on his hand, which bore his darkened Illidari scar. Immediately, Colin's eyes shot away upon being noticed, but Eldris had already clutched his lips together in apprehension.

"Ah," he muttered lightly, "I don't hide from my past, but it certainly doesn't get any easier the more people notice. It's amazing how you can be such an idealist, do something you feel is right, only to find that you might very well have been misguided all along."

He stared off into the distance, "Maybe not 'misguided', but… It's funny. There are too many sides in this world. At the end of the day, I'm on my wife's side. my children's side. The Illidari might have been right; selling their souls to demonic energies, controlling it to fight back against the Legion. But, ultimately, Cayssarin stole me from that life."

Eldris grinned, "I believe you've done much the same with my daughter, Mr. Dumerval."

Unable to blush, Colin's eyes turned away; his embarrassment still burned within him even in this state. Eldris released another laugh as he stood up, gently slapping Colin's arm as he arose.

"I've never seen her more sad, or worried, or whatever," he quietly relayed, "That's all I'll say on that matter."

He smiled as he returned to the table, turning his body as he returned to chiseling to hide his activity from the patient behind him, "Get some rest. I'm sure Kyra'll wake you up with a hug or something when she gets back."

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Returning to that dreamscape, Colin could tell he was in that same small home he had woken in. In fact, he could see it so vividly that he almost though he was awake, at least until he saw himself laying in that nearby bed, sound asleep. It was as though it were an out if body experience, but he couldn't move from where he stood, nor could he see anything he hadn't seen for that time he was awake. Everything he was conjuring up due to inference was blurry, though he was surprised to notice that he could see Ascal, plain as day.

Sure enough, he was laying in another bed, crudely made, though it seemed to be due to urgency and not necessary lack of ability to construct such a thing. Immediately, Colin checked his eyes. There was nothing there. No light being drawn at all, much less anything denoting the existence of that Dreamer.

Colin sighed to himself, shaking his head as he turned back toward his body. Ascal was in a state that might or might not have been death, Ysera was gone, apparently, and here he was, also nearly dead a week ago. He wasn't sure if any deal he had made to anybody was still honorable. The thought almost forced a laugh from him; the idea that he'd been promised immortality. It wasn't exactly a thing he could tell Nozdormu or Kalecgos about l expecting a reasonable reply, and certainly saying such to Alexstrasza would only lead to a quick end, he figured.

He laid down into his body, shutting his eyes as though resigning himself to his fate. Assuming he did gain immortality by simply bringing Ascal here, there wasn't exactly a test one could take to figure that out, and he certainly didn't want to live with that unanswered thought. He'd ultimately done all he could have; if that wasn't good enough, he figured, perhaps it was worthless from the start, and not worth his attention, even now.

Lost in all this existentialism came a heavy shock to his entire body, though it was to be expected. His eyes flew open to see Kyra in front of him, clutching his torso and digging her head into his chest, which was probably the most painful spot on his body at the moment.

"I don't think those are tears of happiness," Eldris grinned as he gently pulled his daughter away.

Shocked, Kyra did as he instructed, massaging Colin's chest as his eyes shut in pain from all the soreness that remained all over his body, "S-Sorry! I'm so sorry; I was just so happy to hear that you were okay."

Colin did what he could in terms of nodding as he watched her, much to Kyra's happiness. It was all she could do to hold her hand to her face and wipe away her own tears as her father held onto her from pulling her away from the bed.

"He seems to be able to understand what you say, so I'm assuming his throat might just be sore," Eldris assured, "Once it subsides, he should be fine. If we weren't up here, we could find some herbs for a salve, but very little lives up here."

"A human almost ceased to live here," a deep, yet feminine voice popped out from behind Colin in a dark irony, "Good to see that as the case."

As thought being reminded by her mother's voice, Kyra waved for the woman to join her, which she did. Colin's eyes reached up to see a rather grave-looking woman, almost as though she had seen too much for somebody of her age. Her eyes had greyed, but she held her scars well, perhaps a sign of deep resilience; a trait that Kyra obviously inherited.

"This is my mother," Kyra noted, "You've already met my father, from what I've heard. I'm sorry if he embarrassed you; it wouldn't be the first time it's happened."

Her mother, Cayssarin, sighed, "He met the man your sister was courting and told her… What was it, that he wasn't afraid of selling his soul to Sargeras again, should he break her heart?"

The sight of Eldris smirking only served to unnerve Colin somewhat, though Kyra's light giggle, a noise he had never even heard before, alleviated his nervousness anyway. Kyra walked off at her father's request and Cayssarin held her hand against Colin's forehead to check his temperature.

"Still a tad warm, but not miserably so anymore," she nodded to herself, plainly, "I will say this, you're awfully headstrong for a human."

Her hand rested at his cheek, then switched to the other, her face changing slightly. She seemed so much like the night elves of Teldrassil, who wore no such emotion on their faces, which struck Colin as odd, considering her somewhat boisterous husband.

However, her hand remained at his cheek, for reasons Colin was painfully aware of, "But we all have help when we need it, don't we?"

She smiled lightly as she pulled away, turning to the others, "I want him fed every few hours to get his strength back up. And let's make sure not we don't harm the man, shall we?"

Like a child being scolding, Kyra's shoulders flew up into a shrug, "I said I was sorry!"

Cayssarin grinned lightly at Colin, giving him a wink that seemed so out of place on such an emotionless face, "I'll make sure it's something a bit more palatable for humans."

Colin held his eyes shut in deep relief.

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The preparations for dinner were like a well-oiled machine, as though the three had been doing such a thing for years. Among the stock taken from their hunting, the ladies had returned with some lemmings which Eldris skillfully skinned and quartered. After that, he prepared the table as Kyra and Cayssarin both managed the cooking, which resulted in some meat, stuffed with some seasonings that had been brought from Teldrassil, as well as a stew made specifically for Colin.

He had been gently pulled up against the headboard, so that he was somewhat sitting up. He could move his limbs and neck, though it was incredibly painful still. Regardless, he had his head turned to watch the others.

"He doesn't hold anything down," Eldris spoke, watching Ascal from across the room, "I don't know what's keeping his body alive, but it doesn't require nourishment. I know he's a druid, but even they need to eat between slumbers."

He shrugged as he continued setting the table in time for the food to be plated. Eldris pulled his wife's chair back for her to sit before sitting across from her himself. Kyra took a bowl of the stew over to Colin's bedside, along with a plate of her own.

"There are rumblings that the Broken Isles fiasco might become more serious," Eldris spoke up as he ate, "The Legion is up to something more. Probably why Staghelm is progressing. Doesn't want them to beat him to the punch."

Colin watched Kyra curiously as she held the bowl of stew in her hand, lifting out a spoonful and blowing on it. He figured she'd be moving it over and into his mouth, but felt a tad disappointed as she pulled the spoon into her own mouth. He looked over toward her parents to continue listening to their discussion, but felt a sudden sting of shock as Kyra pressed her lips into his own, her eyes closed while his jumped wide open.

Slowly and skillfully, the stew she had taken poured into his mouth, and though Colin was aware of this, he was too shocked to do much but accept the gesture. As if to guide him, her hand came up to his cheek as her head lifted upward to make sure he had received every bit of it. She pulled away once she finished her offering, watching him blankly for a moment before grinning at his reaction. She had begun to blush, and was happy to notice Colin's face lighting up as well.

Colin quickly looked over to the older couple, who were going on as though nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Kyra noticed as silently scooted her chair over so as to hide his red face from her parents.

"You couldn't eat or move," Kyra confirmed quietly, "I had to feed you like this all week."

That explained the one 'dream' he'd had, Colin thought. He recalled that "friendly" kiss she had given him long ago in Lor'danel; perhaps such things were just more common in the minds of night elves, even if Kyra had blushed as well. She grinned sweetly as she took another spoonful to her mouth and gently leaned over to repeat the process.

Colin did his best to keep his eyes open, lest the two seem so much like that standard of lustfulness humans, apparently, were thought to have, though it proved difficult as Kyra continued past simply transferring stew, her lips lingering just long enough for a quick taste of Colin's lips. Thankfully, he thought, she pulled away before, seemingly, getting lost in their kiss. He thought it, also, a shame that his current state didn't exactly allow him to reciprocate the way his inner self truly wanted to.

As she pulled away, she noticed his eyes staring over toward her parents, like a schoolboy with a girl in his room with him, alone. With a graceful smile, hiding a lust of her own, she simply chose to use her spoon from then on, much to Colin's relief. After all was said and done, however, she didn't fail to leave him without a soft kiss upon his cheek, which he felt was much more loving and, of course, appropriate.


	18. Chapter 18

By the next day, Colin's muscles had relaxed to the point where he could move around, although his throat was still singed. If he spoke quietly enough, he could even communicate, which was a massive leap since he had first arrived here. His first words were to Cayssarin, whose voice happily replied, albeit astride her normally distant face, as though she were in a still world, like a painting.

Unable to chuckle softly, Colin covered his mouth politely as Cayssarin tilted her head, "Pardon?"

He shook his head, "Sorry. Your face…reminds me of Teldrassil."

"Ahh," she nodded, slowly, "I often think the same when my daughters all have grown to show such emotion. To be completely honest…"

She turned to see if the other two were nearby, however, they had left within the hour, allowing Cayssarin to lean in closer to Colin, "You should have heard my voice before I resigned from my post. Were my face to follow suit, I may be as animated as Vylira."

"I know it doesn't look it," she uttered quietly, as though vanity only briefly overtook her, "but I was once a soldier myself. Well, not a 'soldier'; we were a close-knit group called the 'Shadowleaves'. After the Third War, we were few in number, but knew pain enough to be in charge of tracking down and, well…"

She ventured off in thought, though her voice revealed enough that Colin was able to fill in the gaps, "Kill Illidari?"

Cayssarin stared down toward him, "Ah, you must know."

"Kyra derives quite a bit of drive from that fact," Colin explained, though figured this wasn't anything particularly new to her, though her response said otherwise.

"Does she?"

Miffed, Colin looked away, but it didn't stop Cayssarin from continuing, "I'm afraid that if you were expecting Kyra's parents to be flawless individuals, you were sadly mistaken. We both suffered a great deal in order to devote ourselves to raising proper children. Our pasts aren't exactly clean slates."

"I didn't do too much expecting, honestly," Colin assured, "I mean, besides the obvious thoughts most people have when they hear the word 'Illidari'; I thought your husband wouldn't be so…calm?"

"To be sure," Cayssarin spoke with a voice that normally would have accompanied a smirk, "By the time we Shadowleaves disbanded, we'd probably become more vicious than the people we were hunting. The proof of that is on my face."

"We both wear scars from our past," she reiterated, "His add to his body; mine take away from my face."

Colin watched her with a sadness in his eyes that she'd noted, but hadn't mentioned. He could tell that, if given the choice, she'd probably be just as expressive as her husband. He wondered for a moment how she'd been while raising children, but given what they were here to do, it was almost as though that job was not yet finished.

Cayssarin leaned forward in her chair to stand up, walking over toward the door to leave, "Stay in bed. I'm just checking to see if they're back yet."

Almost immediately after, Colin spoke to her quietly, "I had no reason to expect such warmth from you two."

Leaning into the door, Cayssarin's head lowered in pensive silence, her eyes even closing in a serene thoughtfulness for a few moments time.

"Kyra told us about your parents. Humans live so few years on this world; it's truly tragic when such truths are cut even shorter. If you're seeking the warmth only family provides…you'll find it with the woman you love. But not from us."

Her words stung, but it didn't seem to Colin as though that sting was meant for him. Her words only served to cut into her own self. Colin spun his torso around as best he could to just see her exit, watching carefully as the door swung back into place.

He thought for a moment, noticing his faux pas. He hadn't meant to imply that he was seeking anything from these two; and, in fact, he was indebted to them far more than the inverse. Given the situation, had she jumped to that conclusion because of her guilt pertaining to her eldest son?

As he was somewhat turned around, Colin's eyes barely caught the body of Ascal, just catching a breath being taken, but only slightly, leading to a long pause.

"You might be the lucky one," Colin muttered to the lifeless body, his ability to spew sarcasm apparently restored as well.

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Eldris stared out the crude window as he strapped his belt around his waist, a sense of apprehension on his face. Cayssarin was getting dressed as well, the two both, basically, in rags. Neither had spoken much, even when Kyra began inquiring about what was going on.

"We're seeing your brother," Eldris finally spoke up, gravely distant.

Kyra stood up, "Then let me come with you."

Her father shook his head, "We're on thin ice as it is, already, with just the two of us. If I had it my way, your mother wouldn't be coming either. You're my daughter, however; I can actually command you to do as I say."

Kyra peered over to her mother, as though asking for her overruling, but she barely even seemed to notice Kyra's eyes. Eldris sighed to himself before walking toward the door, making a final check of his things.

"I can't say how long we'll be, but we'll be back," he pointed out, gloomy watching Cayssarin approach him, "Take care, and Elune be with you three."

After a quick hug for both her parents, Kyra watched the two leave, standing at the door with her hand on her face, exasperated that she wasn't included. She knew she held little to no authority or any persuasion over her brother, but she figured, at the very least, she could help protect the two.

She turned around slowly, just catching Colin halfway out of his bed, his feet on the ground, about to stand up, "H-Hey! What are you doing?!"

Colin laughed, "Well, your mother won't let me get up when she's here. I need to skirt the rules as some point; my muscles can only get so much better before they start to deteriorate, after all."

Kyra groaned as she hurried over, latching onto his arm as he leftes himself up onto wobbly legs. He grinned at his body's lack of stability, but the stretching that came from standing felt incredible. He lifted his arms into the air, bending backward, only to stumble back onto the bed while Kyra had been lulled into a false sense of security.

He continued stretching there amid Kyra shaking her head amusedly, "Good to see somebody enjoying themselves. Today especially; things get real quiet when dad's in one of his darker moods."

Colin sat back up, "Well he managed to tell me not to let you out of my sight. Not sure how I was to do that when I can barely stand, but it may have just been to ease his mind, I guess."

Kyra grimaced, "What does he take me for? I'm the good one!"

Grinning in reply, Colin looked up at her, "I mean, you did leave your post on Teldrassil."

"Only because of you," she confirmed, sitting next to him, "And I cant exactly follow you anywhere, now, unless its to the ground."

Colin scoffed at her words but ultimately laughed, shaking his head in disbelief, "I can't believe we made it here. I mean, I never thought I would ever see Hyjal. I mean, technically, I haven't; just a small home atop it, but still."

Kyra smiled nostalgically, looking out of the window across from her, "It certainly isn't what it used to be. Not much of my life is what it used to be, though."

"You said it," Colin replied with a chuckle, "Hey, I know I'm not supposed to allow this, but do you want to step outside? I need to get these legs moving, and after almost two weeks, I have yet to see this place."

Hiding her excitement at, both, leaving and Colin's recuperation, Kyra smiled as she stood up, helping her lover to his feet. Although still wobbly, he managed to walk on his own, though Kyra remained close by to catch him should he fall. They came to the door and quietly left, Colin's eyes meeting the dark world outside the small home that had been so warm and inviting.

The Hyjal he had read and seen pictures about was gone, at least here. It was warm, blisteringly so, but not the same "warmth" that he could have described being in the company of Kyra and her family. It was dark due to the smoke in the atmosphere, nearly to the point of choking, which Colin already knew; it had been why his speech had been absent for a good week or so.

"My god…" he muttered quietly as he surveyed these firelands.

Kyra nodded in understanding, "You can go down the mountain a bit and see a more natural landscape. But this is what evil does. That, and in-fighting."

"Your family seems so… I don't know, 'there'," Colin tried to articulate, though without family of his own, he found it difficult to do so, "How did your brother come to this?"

Kyra shrugged sadly, "Who knows. He came along with Fandral, so that may be the only reason. I believe he was a student of his back before he left Darnassus; maybe it's just what a student does."

She paused for just a moment, "Maybe he was just prone to be evil. I know my parents suspect as much, though they're unwilling, or ashamed, to even admit it. You know, they've both been enraptured by evil themselves, for a long time; maybe it just, I don't know, passes on."

Colin recalled Cayssarin's words the other day. They began to sting him now, thinking about how the two of them must have felt, to escape that life only to be slaves to it once again, with a matter they couldn't just leave alone or destroy. If they truly believed themselves unable to offer anything as a result, as evidenced by her words…how far would they go to truly fix this situation?

Colin shuddered at the thought, and he turned around, holding Kyra by the shoulder, earning her stare, "Let's get back inside. I'm good for today."

She nodded, "Can you get back by yourself? I need to go check on some traps mother and I placed the other day."

Colin looked at her suspiciously, leading her to raising her hands, innocently, "Promise."

Leaving her with a grin, Colin sighed, "Okay, but be home soon, dear."

\------------------------------------------------------------

Alone in a small hovel of their own for the time being, save for Ascal, Kyra and Colin enjoyed being a couple, at least somewhat. More like 'home bodies', but all things considered, that was pretty much all there was here; they played some Hearthstone with a collection Kyra's parents had brought along, they cleaned up a bit together, leading to a quickly playful pillow fight, and they both began to work on dinner in the absence of her parents.

They had no idea the lighthearted atmosphere was only moments away from being obliterated.

The traps had yielded little, but enough for something of a meal if these two decided to forego the protein, which they did. They sat at the table, each with one of the small creatures that had stumbled upon their traps, as Kyra described how to expertly skin them.

"Syheath, the next youngest of us, has been up in Northrend since the first expeditions there," Kyra explained as she methodically worked on the pelt, "She came back at one point and taught me some rudimentary leatherworking. She actually is with a team of craftsmen who go around and explore and figure out what can be done with the fauna there."

"I can't say I've ever seen it done," Colin grumbled as he attempted to work his knife, "I was more into the cooking aspect. You know, after the disgusting part."

Kyra smiled, "I mean, you can just start cooking if you want; just let me finish up."

Without missing a beat, Colin slid over the lemming as he stood up, strutting over to the small kitchen area and pulling down cast iron pans and such. He turned and watched Kyra as she concentrated, fiercely, her tongue sticking out as her eyes narrowed. Her face closing in on the pelt, her hands moved skillfully, almost stealthily, across the carcass.

Happily, she pulled away and handed Colin the finished product. After a good hour or so, the two clamored around the counter, trying to plate, cook, and season all at once. It was in stark contrast to the harmonizing her parents danced to when they stood here, but the two were having too much fun to notice the differences.

"Will it be like this every day?" Kyra asked, disarmingly, as she carefully measured out portion sizes.

Colin smiled to himself, "I'd like to think so. Maybe not so chaotic, but certainly fun and lovely."

Kyra grinned back at him, causing his heart to leap a bit as he stood there, "To be honest, I've never had somebody like this; for this long, anyway. I'm afraid I'll mess something up; I don't really have experience with living with someone."

"You kiss like Midsummer Eve," Kyra confirmed, "That's plenty enough right there."

Colin took on a boyish smirk as he looked away, scratching his cheek, "W- Be that as it may, there's more to it that that. I mean, I doubt I could build you a house like this if we ever ended up in the middle of nowhere."

Kyra watched him, confused, as he continued, "You know, if anybody were to question why I fell for you, I wouldn't have to hesitate to answer; I mean, you're breathtakingly gorgeous, that alone would suffice. I think I even told Ovuun as much back in Lor'danel. If somebody were to ask you, you know; we're held up to a higher standard. You could say whatever, but you know they're expecting you to say, "Oh, yeah, he felled Deathwing" or, "He opened a portal big enough to send an enemy army into the Nether"."

Kyra watched him, still confused, "Wait, so I'm supposed to justify the reason I love you?"

Colin turned to her, now confused himself, as he chuckled, "Well, I mean, when you put it like that… Maybe it's just a human thing; I don't know."

"You humans are here for eighty or so years, and you concern yourselves with explaining why you love someone?" Kyra laughed, "You barely have time to watch a grove from infancy to maturity!"

Colin shook his head, lightheartedly, with a sigh, "Maybe I just need to learn how to build a house."

Kyra nudged him with her hip, "Your arms and your shoulders are enough shelter for me."

He turned to her, her eyes already locked onto him, and sighed as he reached over to hold her, "I swear, I don't deserve somebody so sweet."

Kyra grinned as such, holding her head against Colin's chest, reveling in his warmth that she'd missed for the better part of a week. Colin enjoyed it just as much, especially after being subjected only to dreams of this. The real thing was worth so much more.

Colin lowered his head to rest it atop hers, simply to be connected to her further, but his eyes caught her bare neck from behind, curiously so.

"Hey, did you take off your necklace?"

He spoke innocently enough; he knew there hadn't been any rule for it to always be on, but he knew she cherished it enough not to abide by such a thing. He felt her face bury itself further into his chest, which answered his question enough.

"Did you lose it? On the way up here?"

She didn't reply, only hiding in his torso, again confirming his suspicion. He held her tighter, rubbing her back and continuing with resting his head on hers. He could tell that she was upset by the ordeal, but he wasn't exactly sure why, at least at such a level.

"It's no big deal," Colin confirmed, lightly, "It already served its purpose. Technically, it wasn't even that one, but the one I'm wearing."

Kyra shook her head, still silent as though she were ima child in trouble, but Colin only grinned, "We'll get you another one. Although I can't say why; I'm sure there's something else I can give you to we-"

-THUMP-

The two of them jumped in surprise as the door sounded almost like it had exploded with a gigantic weight falling onto it. They turned to watch it, apprehensively so, with Kyra eventually pulling away to open it, slinking along around the nearby table.

"…maybe it's just mother and father," she spoke quietly, "I mean, what else could it be?"

Colin shrugged, "Staghelm?"

Kyra stared at him drolly as he smirked, her arm reaching out toward the handle. As soon as the lever inside the door broke free from the threshold, the door flew open, knocking Kyra back a few steps as her father nearly fell into the home, just barely catching himself, one hand grasping at the threshold to support him. Kyra watched in shock as she rushed up to him.

"Father?!"

He didn't reply, but recovered on his own, turning sidelong and guiding his wife in past him, her eyes as dim as his were. Colin had just caught their dark faces when Kyra's eyes grew wide, her hand reaching up to her face to hide her horrer as she caught a glimpse of her mother's back, quickly followed by her father's.

Their shirts, while unscathed, were soaked in blood, the volume so large that even their pants were drenched in it. In pure shock, Kyra wasn't aware enough to do anything, but as soon as she's recovered, she reached over to help her mother as she stumbled along, but her father reached out to gently push her away.

The two hobbled toward the other room in this small home, Colin finally catching the horrendous amount of blood himself. His eyes examined them, wondering what exactly had happened, but given that their clothes were fine, he surmised that it had been willful.

His own eyes grew dark as they entered into the other bedroom, Eldris slowing closing the door behind them, leaving Colin and Kyra alone to stare at the barrier. Colin turned to see Kyra staring at the ground, arms crossed, her body almost a shell. He quietly pulled the pan off of the fire, sadly staring at the floor as well.

"I'll kill him," was all the words Kyra could muster at that point.


	19. Chapter 19

Given the somber mood, the two of them turned in soon after. Kyra followed Colin into the bed, which he normally would have been embarrassed by, but given the atmosphere, his mind was farther away from such things. She immediately clutched onto him, her head resting on his chest. Perhaps to take her mind off, her breaths began rhythmically timing to his own, silently, as his fingers ran through her hair.

While Kyra was soon to doze off, which was all Colin wanted, he found no possibility for sleep. His eyes remained open, watching the wooden ceiling above, admiring the craftsmanship of the building. He had thought earlier about asking Eldris to teach him how to do such a thing, but rejected it on the basis of not wanting to abide by Cayssarin's accusation that he was seeking a family or whatever. Now it seemed like an impossibility to ask anything of those two.

He could tell Kyra had fallen asleep when her breaths broke from her cadence, her mind now off in another realm. Quickly after, he felt a drip on his chest, and his head rose up, noticing a bright speck on his chest. Reaching up, it disintegrated into a miniscule pool, leaving Colin heartbroken that she'd silently cried herself to sleep.

Any deal he had made with any sort of deity left his mind. He now knew that, regardless of whatever he'd been promised, he did not want to allow that to happen to her again.

About an hour later, the door leading into the other room creaked open slowly. Colin perked over, unmoving, seeing Eldris standing there with Cayssarin clutching onto his arm, as though for dear life. Without speaking, the man lowered his body and rose again, this time with his wife in his arms, though Colin could tell the weight was an insufferable toll on his body, one that paled in comparison to seeing his wife suffer with each step.

They slowly made it to the front door, in pure agony, especially as Eldris reached down to open the door, as quietly as possible, his mind still concerned for their guests' sleep. He didn't bother closing it, instead heading out into the darkness, with Colin unable to follow them while staying put.

He decided to be a good guest and simply remain where he was, but his curiosity and lack of tire bit deeply into his mind. He looked back over toward the door, then back toward Kyra, still lost in her sleep. Colin carefully rolled out of the bed, strategically pulling his pillow down for Kyra to clutch onto, and silently walking to the door, pressing his body against the wall, listening.

"…don't have to do this, you know," Cayssarin's voice spoke sadly, though with a futile air that probably meant she knew her words wouldn't change anything, "You need to worry about yourself."

Eldris didn't reply, but Colin heard a bit of a sizzle, followed by Cayssarin's low voice bursting out a quite grunt. It was dark enough, Colin thought, so he lowered his body past the door, peeling over to where the voices emanated. Eldris was staggered on one knee behind Cayssarin, who sat on a crudely made chair, hunched over and clutching her arm to numb the pain.

By the light of a nearby lantern, Eldris allowed a candle to drip hot wax onto his wife's back, his hand running up and down, spreading the pasty substance. Cayssarin held her head low, but past an occasional grunt, she was silent as he worked.

"I'm fine, Eldris; you don't need to-"

"I'm not going to allow you to look like me," he spoke in as grave a voice Colin had ever heard, almost decisively, "I have enough scars for fifteen people. You can force me to take you along, but you can't force me to stop caring about-"

"Eldris!" she interrupted, almost pleadingly so, "My entire being belongs by your side, soul and all; my body is nothing compared to-"

"I won't allow my angel to be deformed as I am," he spoke up, again interrupting.

He had stopped his work and simply held his head low, clutching onto Cayssarin's shoulder to keep himself from falling, "You saved my life. You saved my soul. You are the most beautiful being in all of Azeroth; I'm not going to let your…stubbornness take that away from you."

Cayssarin sighed, "I guess it wouldn't be the first time my stubbornness allowed something to be taken from me."

A light chuckle came from Eldris, Colin able to detect a small smirk at his face, "You took my freedom. On numerous occasions. I simply needed to return the favor."

He continued running the hot wax up and down her wounds, allowing the heat to melt her skin together, apparently preventing such prominent scars from forming. His hand tenderly ran up and down her back to soothe her as the wax burned her, surely enflaming her nerves.

"I always thought that fire in your eyes was just some fel magic or something," Cayssarin explained, "I always loved your scars and those eyes. I'm forever grateful that they both belong to you and not some other force. I get to keep them all to myself."

A pause ruptured the scene, then Cayssarin continued, "I was so happy that Kelaeth had those same eyes."

"Cays…" Eldris muttered between clenched teeth.

She shrugged, "I'm not going to apologize for my thoughts. We wouldn't be doing this to ourselves if we didn't think it meant anything more than a cosmetic thing. He's not you from back then."

He didn't reply, but his hand never stopped running up the length of her back. Cayssarin sighed, silently resigning herself to the air around her. As though he were finished, Eldris wiped his hands off on his pants, stumbling to his feet and nearly falling onto the ground before his wife managed to grasp his arm to balance him.

She lowered him slowly to the ground before she slid off of her chair to sit beside him. After his arms had been made busy, it was all he could to wrap one around Cayssarin's waist to pull her closer so that her head could lean onto his shoulder. Eldris stared up the mountain, almost longingly.

"I'll get your son back," he spoke in a distant voice, catching Cayssarin's attention, her head rising up to stare up at his.

"You need to stop blaming yourself," she reminded, "Short of chaining him to a tree, he was going to walk his own path. We may see yourself in those eyes, but that's where it ends. Your past didn't manifest itself in him; you didn't cause this. Aaleas has just as similar eyes, Vylira has your grit; Kyra has my rigidity when it comes to the rules."

She paused for a second, "…to an extent. Again, just like me."

Eldris chuckled, finally adding some levity to the air around them, "He's a good kid though; she didn't find the worst possible guy."

Cayssarin wrapped an arm around him as the two looked off into the distance. They seemed so out of place there; despite whatever past of theirs Colin knew of, they had become so…pure. Yet here they were, surrounded by smoke and fire. Colin turned back into the small house, looking around at the interior. Looking back toward Kyra. The world was so vast, yet this was the only piece of it he truly cared to be a part of.

Just before walking back to bed, he heard the faint voice of Eldris behind him, a nagging feeling keeping him from just going along.

"I've given you scars, I've given you pain. I've given you children. I've given you comfort, and given you my heart. If I could just give you your son back; I would do whatever it took. I want that more than anything."

"You're so concerned with what you've given."

"Because you've already given me the world," Eldris concluded, softly, "All I can do is repay you."

\----------------------------------------------------------

A few days passed without much of an appearance from Kyra's parents. Still recouping from their visit, they had taken to the other room for the most part, leaving Kyra and Colin to their own devices. While they might have enjoyed it, a certain gloom was cast over the whole of the home, and even the two of them managed not to speak much.

They had gone for walks to escape the lull, where the two of them finally felt able to speak and be together. They cooked the few meals together, always sure to have some extra for when one of the parents emerged for just a moment, expressing their gratitude, and then leaving. The young could had difficultly thinking about what had happened before they had arrived, seriously doubting that much would be eaten by the other two during these times.

Ascal's body remained in some sort of stasis, as evidenced by his hair continuously growing. Colin knew it might mean that he was asleep and within the Emerald Dream, though Kyra had confirmed that such slumbers are highly susceptible to distractions; if Colin had carried him up a mountain, that certainly would have awoken him.

Colin found a pair of shears and always made time to sit at the man's bedside, carefully managing to cut his hair. He knew it was something of an important ritual, at least to Ascal himself, and he was sure to sit every day or two and groom his hair, ensuring that, whenever he met whatever entity in the Dream he would at least be presentable.

Word had already come that Ysera had been sacrificed to the stars by Tyrande, though by the time Colin had heard it from Cayssarin earlier in the week, he'd already been more or less resigned to his unknown fate. One year or ten thousand, he'd cherish each day with Kyra regardless, he figured.

On this day, Colin stood from Ascal's side and collected his long hair in a small basket that would be taken and laid out for birds to use for nesting.

"Is this just a night elf thing?" Colin questioned as he and Kyra laid out the tufts of hair on some rocks.

Kyra shrugged, "I mean, I guess. It's always been the men who've gone to be druids and had to deal with all this. It's all sort of secretive to some extent, but it seemed like a good idea."

The two returned to the small home to find Eldris closing the door behind him, a bag strapped around his shoulder. He noticed the two and waved them over, reaching into the knapsack and rummaging as they approached.

"Are you feeling better?" Kyra asked, still with a hint on concern on her face, though her father shrugged it off.

"I've been through worse," he grinned, "Your mother may need some more rest, but I figured I'd take the time to…"

He pulled out a small marble statuette, the one he must have been working on back when Colin was still out of it. Kyra silently admired it before looking over to see Colin's reaction of it. He nodded admiringly, reaching out to examine it, though his face suddenly turned to confusion.

"It looks almost like your necklace," he noted, "You made a new one?"

Kyra couldn't reply before her father began to boast, "I must say, if you can describe much anything in enough detail, I can certainly replicate it. To scale, of course. It's not often I hear such detailed descriptions, though, when the object's been lost."

Suddenly recognizing the foot in his mouth, Eldris skeptically turned to his daughter, "…he knew, right?"

Kyra glibly held her hand to her face, "Kind of."

Although Eldris became visibly nervous, Colin simply shook his head with a grin, "It's nothing; really. It's nice to have these, but I mean, there are more important things than physical object, right?"

In a second, a violent force nearly knocked Colin to the ground as Eldris burst out with a loud, "HA!". Colin rubbed his arm where the man's hand had smacked him agreement, his muscles still holding soreness.

"Father!" Kyra shouted as she reached over to examine Colin's arm, though Eldris quickly reacted in kind.

"My apologies!" he spoke up loudly, "I didn't mean to do that. Though I was led to believe that this was meant for you."

He handed Colin the marble necklace, though Kyra was quick to snatch it from his hand with a slight blush, "N-No! I mean, I'll give it to him."

Colin grinned at the act, leaving Eldris as the only one confused as to what was going in. Kyra lowered her head as she held the smooth totem in between both her hands, almost sadly so. Colin understood was she was getting at and began taking off his own necklace: the original one.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't be," Colin interrupted, holding out his own statuette, "This one was meant for you to begin with. From the very beginning."

Kyra smiled, accepting his gift once again before carefully handing out her own gift back to him, which Colin readily accepted.

"Is this, like, a big thing?" Eldris questioned, "I don't know much about human culture, but it seems rather unique."

Colin shrugged after returning another strap around his neck, "It's kind of our own little thing, I suppose."

Kyra smiled brightly as Eldris clapped his hands together, "Well! Kyra, if you'd excuse us, I figure today's the day I take your partner, here, and see what he's made of. I can't have my daughters being with men of little mettle."

"Oh, Elune…" Kyra sighed, remembering the first time Y'eanel had brought a man home, "Please, just… Please."

Eldris chuckled at the insinuation, which did little to ease the nerves suddenly creeping up within Colin's stomach, "Don't worry, my daughter. We're just going to take a walk is all."

Kyra still groaned as she shook her head, all the while Eldris had held Colin's shoulder, leading him off into the distance. She remained there to watch them until they had disappeared behind one of the small mounds of hills that were peppered about the landscape here. She reluctantly returned to the home, surprised to find her mother leaving the other room.

"Are you feeling better, mother?" she asked, quickly approaching her to help her walk, though she was met with a hand to stop her.

"I'm fine, dear," she spoke, deeply, "I just needed to stretch my legs is all. It feels like I've aged a few centuries since being here."

Kyra held her lips together tightly as she watched her mother sit at the table, groaning, but ultimately happy to be out of bed. Kyra quickly made up some tea as her mother watched. She carefully poured two small cups full and brought them to the table, followed by the kettle, before sitting across from her mother.

"Ishnu-alah," Kyra spoke, to which her mother nodded in reply, gracefully.

She knew they would be talking, but was unaware what about. Kelaeth had long been sort of a taboo subject, and Kyra wasn't about to ask about the circumstances of that visit the two had made to see him.

Breaking the air, however, was Cayssarin, "Don't think that I don't like Colin. He's a fine young man; much better than your father when I first found him. Perhaps the first thing I wished when I had your eldest sister was that she wouldn't put herself through hell the same way I did for whomever she loved."

She took a sip of tea while Kyra stared hard at the table, hating the feeling of interrogation, "I'd much rather you leave your post to rebel than find yourself some evil clique somewhere."

Her mother sighed, shrugging, "I just never imagined my children falling for mortals. Not that I mind, but…I can't help but think-"

"It's fine, mother," Kyra assured, "I've thought about it. That entire year I was apart from him, I thought about it. No matter what, I couldn't stop thinking about him. The first time I laid eyes on him, back on Teldrassil; I was awestruck. And he turned out to be so strong-willed, and kind, and…"

She paused, rubbing her arm, "Sometimes he speaks to me without uttering a single word. He'll write poetry on my neck with his lips; my mind will be running a mile a minute and he'll leave it quelled with just a stare."

"That year," she continued, "I wanted nothing more but to be by his side."

Cayssarin sighed, "And you can live a life alone after he dies?"

Kyra lowered her head, darkly, knowing this question was at the back of her mind the entire time she'd been in love. She had never bothered to confront it before, but knew her mother wouldn't let her get away without answering.

"I'm not trying to hurt you, Kyra," she croaked, sadly, "You just need to understand what this means."

Kyra perked up toward her mother, "I could live five lifetimes and never meet a man such as him. If the price of that is only eighty years or so, then so be it. He keeps saying he'll make me the happiest woman in the world; he keeps forgetting that I'll be twice as sure to make him the happiest man."

Cayssarin chuckled, "That sounds just like your father."

Her heart now racing, Kyra took another breath and a sip of tea, closing her eyes as if to quietly mediate as her mother went on, "Okay then. You have my blessing. Just make sure you two have a lot of children to bring home to their grandmother."

Kyra grinned, knowing that such a statement would have caused Colin to blush wildly. She nodded in agreement, however, and the two shared their tea together in silence. It was one ritual they both enjoyed, possibly due to the rigors and rules of tea-making and drinking.


	20. Chapter 20

Eldris wouldn't allow Colin much opportunity to help him walk as the two made their way up one of the secondary peaks of Hyjal. While the mightiest peaks belonged to the Titans still, Hyjal still had quite a few of less notoriety, some more difficult that others to ascend. Eldris deferred to Colin just having scaled a mighty segment of the mountain and suggested the two tackle a rather easy climb, even though Colin figured it had more to do with Eldris' physical shape. He didn't bring it up, nor did he offer to help support him after he'd asked, innocently enough, the first time.

Beside his knapsack, Eldris had brought nothing with him, and Colin hadn't anything really to begin with. This minor peak allowed just a slight slope to its top and could be walked, so the two simply spoke as they made their way up, with Colin subconsciously checking on Eldris every few steps, just in case he were to stumble.

He remembered the other night vividly, almost word for word. It was their past, yet it seemed to almost haunt him as though it were his own, much to his surprise. He knew there had been some severe brutality involved, but had no idea of the severity, only adding to his imaginative interpretation of some words.

"I'm not sure how much Kyra has told you about us," Eldris spoke up, "She isn't exactly the time to get sentimental, but she has her moments. I can tell she isn't exactly homesick having come all this way."

Colin shrugged, "Well, I mean, she focused more on, what I suppose what could be called the 'negative' aspects of you two. Probably to warn me, though, more than anything."

"Makes sense," Eldris replied in understanding, nodding, "It's not exactly a secret that I was once an Illidari; not with these tattoos on me, anyway. Like many idealists, I sought radical change when The Betrayer did as well. They get demonized, but we all had the world and its people at the center of everything we did…to an extent, anyway. I just wanted to see change, and the thought of waiting for it gnawed at my young soul."

He grinned, "The same seems to have applied to my son, Kelaeth. He came here, became a Druid of the Flame, as a follower of the Archdruid Staghelm, though I can't say why, exactly, he seems to have the same idealistic spirit of my youth. That's why it's so difficult to watch this happen again. It hurts more when it's somebody you love and not yourself; I can change, but I can't change others, you know?"

Colin nodded in reply, thought had nothing to say, which Eldris seemed to catch onto, "My apologies; I know you haven't exactly had the opportunity to understand these sorts of things."

"It's nothing," Colin answered, naturally, "I mean, I'd rather live the life I have than end up with one so…no offense, but I guess, 'turbulent'."

"To say the least!" Eldris laughed, patting his shoulder, "You're a good man, Colin. A man I respect. That day we found you up here, we were sitting at our table enjoying a meal when our door met with a battering of fists. I jumped up and was horrified to find my daughter there, messy, injured, and desperate. Before I could even hold her and welcome her, she began shouting at us to go and find you. I'd never seen her like that. Ever."

He smiled, "Such desperation for another. I've only witnessed such things rarely in my life. You hold a very special part of her heart."

"Anyway," he continued, back on track, "We came rushing to where she had described and found you there, just passed out. It didn't take much at all to learn of what you'd done, given the belt and the straps. To be honest, I can't even explain, now, how you did it."

Colin looked away, guiltily, not sure whether or not to explain his contempt for Elune and other deities. He couldn't be sure of this man's reverence, but he figured it may have been as great as many other reformers. Thankfully, Eldris didn't address the subject further.

"The way Kyra tells it, I suppose you did it for her," he spoke softly, "For some divine mission of yours."

He became distant, deep in thought, almost stopping his walk entirely before speaking up again, "I knew, then, you love my daughter. With a love that I can't say I could describe with a few lifetimes."

He turned to Colin and grabbed his shoulder, holding him close as they stood there, Colin's eyes staring into the man's green eyes. They resembled other night elves', save for a distant flame that seemed to burn deep in that same brightness.

"You do love my daughter, correct?"

Colin nodded, not breaking eye contact before smiling, "With every drop of the sea."

Eldris grinned in turn, nodding, and returning to his walk, reaching into his knapsack and pulling out a bottle, reaching over and pushing into Colin's chest, "Moonberry Juice. Time to celebrate."

"Alone?" Colin asked innocently as he took the bottle and examined in contents.

Chuckling, Eldris replied happily, "You learn far more about a man when sharing a drink, my son. They say a sober man hides all, but a drunk man bares all. Something like that. Not that we can get drunk with this stuff, but some libation is in order."

Colin shrugged as though to release in inhibitions and nodded, "Okay, but there's not much to know about someone who's been on this earth for twenty-four years."

"That's another thing," Eldris grinned, "I'll have to- Well, that's another thing for another time. Right now, let's just imbibe, huh?"

They came upon the minor peak. Although it paled in comparison to Hyjal's mightiest, it still offered a rather spectacular view of Kalimdor below, the view reaching deep across the land, to where even Teldrassil could be seen. Colin watched that Crown with deep eyes, catching Eldris' attention, who rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Eldris spoke up, "Staghelm helped give this to our people, and now he's taken so much as well. I tell you, living such lengthy lives is a curse sometimes."

Colin nodded, recalling Kyra's own words, "You see people live long enough to become evil."

Eldris took a seat, groaning as he did, "Never forget. Some you see live long enough to become good."

He saluted to himself as though to exemplify his statement before cracking open his bottle of Moonberry, waving a hand for Colin to come sit by him. He did as instructed and opened his own bottle, finding the flavor to be much more pleasant compared to other elven fare he'd been introduced to.

"I've never particularly enjoyed Spidersilk Stew myself, either," Eldris noted, "It's not exactly acquired; you have to grow up with it."

Colin grinned, "Boy, don't I know it."

Eldris nodded, staring off into the vast distance of the continent, his eyes able to see much farther than his human companion's. Colin did his best to do the same, but for the most part, they sat there in silence, each taking soft swigs of their drinks.

Eventually, Eldris spoke up nostalgically, "Kyra's mother… She changed my life. She saved me, quite frankly. And I'm not just saying all this because I expect you and my daughter to find yourselves in such dire situations. Nylfallas and Aaleas are the only two of my children who found mates; none of my daughters have, so I've never exactly been the one to oversee much."

He shrugged as quick smile reached across his face, "For whatever it's worth, if my life can offer some sort of lesson in resilience, perhaps it could all be worth something instead of nightmares and tragedy."

Colin nodded, "I don't mind; I think it's rather fascinating. Well, I mean, I'm quite curious about it. I've gathered bits and pieces, but…"

"Well," Eldris began, stretching his back, "Back when I was an Illidari, we were sort of the first batch to be initiated into Illidan's elite: myself and three others. We bled together, beat each other to near death when we trained. We stared into the very eyes of Sargeras and clutched at each other's bodies in fear for nights on end. Illidan was very clear what was expected; the only thing that kept me going, at least, was thinking about home. Not wanting our forests to be even singed by the Legion again."

He chuckled lightly, "There was a woman in our group, Yleasia. My god, she must have been the toughest of us all. She was bearing a child when a demon killed it. Then there was Jaadral, an absolute psychopath at times, which is what we loved about him. He was always willing to do the most dangerous things. We all adored him and his jokes, though. And finally, our leader, Nylris, whom I still respect enough, even today, to not talk about."

"Anyway, the Sisters of Elune and, of all people, Archdruid Staghelm, knew that night elves surrendering themselves to that demonic energy was not good, regardless of the purpose. After the Third War, the Shadowleaves were reassembled and sent to kill the Illidari, including my wife. However, little was known about us back then, and they had little idea what exactly they were getting into.

"Chased around Azeroth and Draenor, Cays and I had a few run-ins with one another. The first time being when I had her at the edge of my glaive, ready to kill her right then and there."

Colin watched intently as the man's voice quivered a bit upon recalling the story, "She spat in my face and commanded me to finish her off. She was so beautiful, I thought. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted to frighten her; force her to leave and never return to this mission. I grazed a blade across her neck and left. I had no idea that it would only further steel her resolve.

"Eventually, they had set a trap for us, which we easily figured. My group managed to skip past it with the Shadowleaves in pursuit, but I stayed behind, not counting Cays among them. I curiously entered the trap, then at the last moment, turned the tables on her, entrapping her.

"I had never seen such a fury in one's eyes," Eldris grinned as he recalled, "I found such a spirit rather captivating. That might have been the moment when I fell in love with her and realized I could leave everything behind, but if I were to have this woman by my side, I could never lose her. For one, her stubbornness wouldn't have let me."

He chuckled, "I couldn't make the world a better place; it was a truth I had to fruitlessly denied when I was such a radical, idealistic youth. But I could make her world a better place. That, I knew, was possible."

Eldris turned to Colin, "That's the short version; I could write a novel if I could. Spread it all around the world and have people traverse the darkest of dungeons to read them all. I like to think some fragments would end up at some auction; some poor soul spending everything just to complete the collection. Maybe it's not that interesting, though."

"Still," he continued, nostalgically, "Despite the evil I've done, I can find some goodness. Some good memories. I've done my evil works, and spent many years trying to make up for them. I'd hate to know my son was the last evil thing I've helped come to pass."

Colin lowered his head, "If what I know is true, that won't be the case."

Eldris chuckled, "If there's anything to learn from me, it's to not go on saving the world! But, in the short time I've known of you, you've already proven yourself of impossible feats. Who knows…"

He trailed off, watching the sun setting in the distance, "Who knows…"

Colin watched as he rocked his empty bottle of juice in his hand, thinking of his story. He was still floored by the idea of this man fitting the past he claimed to fit into, yet he carried the scars of that past.

"Will you be willing to carry the scars of yourself and the woman you love?" Eldris asked quietly, almost forebodingly.

Colin turned to him, confused, though quickly remembered the other night. He couldn't very well explain that he'd been eavesdropping, but at the same time, he legitimately had no idea of what to say. Before he could speak, Eldris reach behind his head and clutched the neck of his shirt.

"Will you be willing to carry the scars of your children?" he asked, slowly pulling his shirt over his head, revealing the nasty, light trails of his skin torn apart over the course of thousands of years.

Wide with shock, Colin's eyes trailed down the most prominent one, following it down the length of the man's back. He couldn't find an answer, but Eldris didn't press for one. He continued staring off into the distance, but turned toward Colin with a fierce look on his face.

"This is my punishment," he explained, gravely, "For allowing my son to do this to himself. I've accepted them for years now, and will continue to do so until I convince him to return."

His eyes rested deep within Colin's, "Would you do the same for my daughter? Were she to follow my path as well?"

Finally coming to understand the crux of Eldris' being, Colin stared back at him, seriously. It must have been the deepest scar upon his heart to not want his children to grow up not even resembling him. He was so afraid of them following in his path; for a split second, Colin wondered if he'd once contemplated exiting their lives completely, and his guilt the only thing binding him. How hard he must have worked; how hard Cayssarin must have worked for the man she loved.

Despite the ominous words coming from the man's words, Colin gave a confident nod, which seemed to be all Eldris needed to see.

He stood up, with Colin following him to his feet, and the two began their way back down, the sun now nestled greatly behind the dark mountains of Hyjal. Eldris stepped with less difficulty this time around, almost as though he had less of a weight upon his shoulders.

"I'm happy to call you 'son'," Eldris spoke, almost assuredly due to the alcohol.

Colin grinned, knowing the man was baring the truth, as was his words, "Thanks."


	21. Chapter 21

Another week or so had passed, and already it was time for Eldris and Cayssarin to leave again to continue their quest. Their goal was to convince their son to return to their side, and although talking hadn't worked yet, they continued to do it. Colin wasn't sure if it was blind desperation or simply an inability to do much else, but he knew better than to question it. Fortunately, Kyra was readily prepared to question their methods, and on this day, she rose from the table right as they were about to leave.

"Okay," she spoke up, "I've held my tongue long enough. You two are seriously going to keep going back again and again?"

Eldris opened the door, pausing as it opened fully, "That's the plan."

"How long can you do it until the two of you die?!"

Again unmoved, Eldris replied calmly, "As long as it takes."

Getting angrier, Kyra threw her hands out, "And you're just willing to allow mother to die alongside you?!"

As though upset that Kyra had brought her into the conversation, Cayssarin shot her a blank stare as Eldris spun around, "Were I to have it my way, she wouldn't be subjecting herself to this torture. If I had it my way, she would have her son back."

"Then I'm going along to," Kyra spoke up, challengingly, "If mother can go-!"

"That's enough!" Eldris shouted, loud enough that even Colin jumped up in his chair.

He stared at his daughter, clutching mightily at the door, "Not another word. You're my daughter, but you are a guest in this home. You are to stay here, got it?"

Even Kyra was taken aback by her father's tone. He'd been authoritative before, but this time, his voice held some venom to it, as though the idea of his daughter coming along was poison to his mind. Colin knew what he was avoiding but kept silent.

Eldris gave Kyra another glare as though to reinforce his declaration before turning to leave. Cayssarin followed along, but held her hand out, holding her daughter's shoulder for a brief second before pointing toward the table, across from Colin.

"Take a seat," she instructed, which Kyra obeyed with a brutish snort, "Colin, I trust you will ensure she follows directions?"

As though he were a flimsy and wet bag defending against a feral cat, Colin nodded nervously, though Cayssarin accepted it, patting her daughter on the head a final time before approaching the door, pulling it closed as she went along.

"Please Kyra, just… Just listen to your father," she managed, sadly, as the door broke the tension in the air.

Kyra sat the table angrily, rubbing her hands together vigorously between her legs, her eyes almost attempting to burn a hole into the wood. Colin watched her emotionlessly, though understood the conflict within her; being rebuffed after offering to help her parents must have bruised something, especially after her father had gotten so intense about it.

"I can't tell if you want to leave anyway, but I know you don't want to be sitting down," Colin noted out loud.

Kyra immediately stood up, pacing intensely back in forth as she angrily began to shout, "How dare they demand such a thing! They're being mutilated up there! They're gonna die, and they're going to deny help?!"

Colin calmly rubbed his head, "Kyra, they don't want to drag you into this."

"Oh, they don't?!" she shouted, not so much at Colin as to her parents, "I was dragged into this years ago, after that monster tried to kill me once. And then again, on my way up here, he tried again! But he didn't succeed; he just took something so precious away from me."

She clutched the necklace through her shirt and stared toward the door, silently. Colin watched her, rather frightened at what she was thinking of doing. He slowly stood himself and approached her, Kyra's mind having wandered off so much that she jumped at Colin's hand upon her shoulder.

"Kyra, I have no doubt over your strength," Colin told her, "But sometimes you can't just go off and- This is exactly what your father doesn't want you to do."

"Then he shouldn't have forced the decision onto me," Kyra retorted, still heated.

Colin reached into his shirt and pulled out his marble necklace, pulling it toward Kyra as far it could go, "This is not your battle! Why are you so desperate to put us in jeopardy? Aren't we worth more than this hatred?"

Kyra watched his eyes sadly, her hand reaching over to grasp his as she took a step into him, "…if you could go back and save your parents, you'd do it."

Colin watched her lowered face, watching her hand rubbing gently over his own, "I don't want to lose them. Not to my brother. Not to anything."

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself against his body, "They love you. Like a son. In my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have imagined I could give you so much. You're always on giving me the world; all I want is to do the same."

"If you're afraid that I'll die," she concluded with a smile, "He's tried twice already and failed. Once before I was even Silverwing material."

Colin sighed, pulling away and turning around, staring at the ground with his eyes closed, "I don't condone this. If you're going to go on, you'll have to do it without me watching. I can't watch you do this."

Kyra watched him sadly, knowing how desperate he was to keep her close. She was caught between two destinations though. She shut her eyes and walked toward the bed, picking up her armor and beginning to strap it all on.

"I'm sorry," she spoke, "But if I want to give you a family…this is a good first step. You said yourself you came all this way to help me, or us, out. This is where it all leads. I don't know what it was all for, but this is where we accomplish this long mission."

She approached him from behind and held him, resting her face in the small of his neck, "And I saw 'we' because I'm one with you. No matter what happens. After this, we'll have our own home, wherever we choose. We'll have our own lives; we can choose how much or how little we want the outside world involved. We can spend our days and nights carving the shape of our lips on each other's bodies, so that they'll remain there forever."

She paused long enough to gently kiss the back of his neck before pulling away slowly, her hands lingering at his sides as long as possible before she stepped to the door.

"I love you, Colin," she spoke quietly, before she left, "Alor'el A'dore."

Colin had to shut his eyes as hard as he could to keep from crying. Since she'd gone, he finally allowed his arm to reach up and wipe off his face before he fell into a chair, his head collapsing into his arms. He stayed there, quiet, for a few minutes, not crying, but simply trying to remove the world from his mind.

He lifted his head and stood up, walking over to his bed, only stopping once Ascal's body came into view. The body, that might as well have been a corpse; the body that hadn't moved a single inch since Colin had awoke here a few weeks ago.

There, upon his chest, clutched between his unmoved hands, laid a small branch of graceful limbs. It looked like an orchid, though at the top of the stem rested a white bloom, adorned with heart-shaped petals, and green tendrils curled down the stem, like a vine ready to sprout.

Colin had never seen such a thing before. He approached the body and lifted one of the petals with a finger, gently. It was so delicate, yet didn't feel at all in danger of being bruised. His mind wandered back to her final words:

"Alor'el A'dore."

This couldn't have been that flower Kyra had spoken from night elf folklore…could it? Colin looked up at Ascal's blank face, leaning over next to his ear, whispering as quietly as he could.

"Ysera?"

There was nothing that would have indicated that he'd heard him, but as Colin stood back up, a cool breeze flew against the back of his head; odd enough that it wasn't as humid as the rest of this peak, but that there was any gust of wind in this home was rather incredible.

Colin pulled the flower away, gently, resting it over on his pillow so that it wouldn't be strange if the others returned first; he didn't care to explain much. He grasped at his knapsack and made his way to the door himself, making one final turn back toward Ascal. He remained as cold as could be, even under Colin's scrutinizing glare. Finally, he spun the knob and opened the door, heading up the mountain, blindly.

After all, where one of them was, the other was sure to follow.


	22. Chapter 22

Kelaeth spent his days under the tutelage of the Majordomo, Staghelm, learning from the man he'd grown to known as a father. The former Archdtuid had grown so cold after his son's death in Silithus, but around Kelaeth, he would warm up, just slightly, at his rapidity in learning and just his sheer grasp of power. He probably reminded the man of his son, though Staghelm would often deny that, maybe even to himself.

Regardless, the two were often together in study. When Kelaeth was not in his midst, he often remained at the small home he had built himself there among the firelands. It only served as his personal quarters and a place to rest; he never truly called anywhere here "home". It seemed like such an elusive term to him; he never really felt comfortable unless he was training or learning complicated druidic magic.

Other than these two places, he would study at a small, outdoor workshop of sorts on a cleft of rock overlooking the firelands. It was here he'd meditate or do his work, but quite some time ago it became where he would see visitors. Of course, those visitors were his parents.

For whatever reason, he never sent them away, though he also didn't bother speaking to them. He would simply continue what he was doing, and after an uneventful period of pleading with him, his parents simply continued showing up, silently, as though their presence would somehow turn him.

His father's stare, however, was rather fierce. The one time Kelaeth's eyes wandered over his desk into them, he nearly shuddered at the sight, never allowing that to happen again. He was sure the man's stare remained, however, every day. There was a firy regret in those eyes.

For as long as Kelaeth could remember, he'd been afraid of that stare, almost as though it had been hardwired into him. There were surely times where his father could watch him and offer nothing but love, but when their enflamed core eclipsed those lights, Kelaeth felt his skin crawl.

Even now, sitting at his desk, those eyes could still frighten him in his mind. He so feared what his father had been, a man consumed with that demonic energy; yet this was the man that raised him. That taught him how to be a man. This juxtaposition followed Kelaeth even here; being unable to simply kill these two to rid himself of them, he would prefer to torture them, convince them to leave. Yet they continued to come. With a pair of fel eyes along with them.

Kelaeth sat at his desk, his heel hopping up and down as he hunched over his desk, attempting to focus on his work. He was aware that his parents had arrived, yet again, and were sitting down away from him, across a small chasm between the rock he sat on and the main area of earth.

Lost in his frustration with the material he couldn't grasp, his eyes periodically shot above him, trying to get some sort of stimulation that wasn't scribbles on paper. He grasped his head, knowing not to peer up at his father, finally standing up and turning around to stare off into the distance opposite the two.

"You can't get rid of us that easy," Eldris muttered neutrally.

Kelaeth grumbled to himself, shaking his head, turning back around. He clutched at the ends of his desk, his eyes matching his father's; staring into that evil magic. Eldris responded unflinchingly, matching his son's gaze with his own.

Suddenly left breathless, Kelaeth's eyes squinted, but just barely. His eyes were met with green flames, as though a portal to hell had just opened. He slammed a fist into his desk, gritting his teeth as he attempted to match whatever evil he was facing in the eyes of his father. Finally, and reluctantly, he turned away, breathing heavily as he clutched his chest.

"My eyes are not as you see, son," Eldris reassured, calmly, "What you're seeing is a reflection of yourself. You're not doing yourself any favors by hiding within these flames."

"LIAR!" Kelaeth shouted, almost maniacally, "I will NOT be lectured by a demon such as yourself!"

Eldris sadly lowered his head, "Kelaeth… Son… I can never be more sorry that I afflicted you with this. I can never make up for all the fear you must have faced every time you saw me. You fear demons so much because I was so close to them; but I tore myself away from that life. You can do the same."

Kelaeth shook his head once again, "Staghelm has dome so much to help-"

"What, by hiding you from the moonlight?" Eldris questioned, "By surrounding you with more of the same evil? Under Sargeras or Ragnaros, evil is still evil, son."

"Shut up!" Kelaeth roared angrily, clutching his face again.

Eldris knew that, whatever had happened, he was as close to a breakthrough than he'd ever been. He stood up, recalling those long, exhaustive nights he had shared with Cayssarin, with her playing the role that, now, Eldris played. He trudged up the small mound toward Kelaeth, not allowing his eyes to wander away from his son, either for emphasis or sepd-defense.

"You're so much better than this," Eldris now pleaded, "Come back to us. Please. You can do so much good."

Kelaeth quivered for but just a few moments, his father within arm's reach of him. Suddenly, his body turned, leading into a vigorous roar that burst into a thousand degrees of flames slamming into Eldris all at once, encasing him in flame as he flew across the arid landscape, his body crashing into the ground and rolling along enough to extinguish the flames.

Cayssarin, in pure horror, watched the scene play out, quickly rushing over to her husband, unable to even scream his name, her throat suddenly became hoarse from the sight. She fell and slid into her husband's side, leaning down and shaking his still body, crying a starlight river onto his body, her wails quaking as much as her body.

"Mother!" Kelaeth shouted, "Back away from the demon!"

"You are the demon here," she shot back with a venomous tone.

Her words failed to faze him, as he simply continued walking toward Eldris' body, rolling up his sleeve as though to go for the kill. Cayssarin eyed him with sinister eyes, although aware that she had no weapons. Were it to come down to it, she'd already known she would die for the man.

Suddenly, a burst of sonic boom slapped the air, Kelaeth just able to avoid a glaive being thrown at him. The sharp blade flew to a stop in the dirt as he turned to the source.

"Don't you touch her," Kyra seethed angrily, her grip on her closing sword so tight that even her darker skin showed veins being clenched.

Kelaeth eyed her skeptically, as though he couldn't remember her, or perhaps he was sizing her up. Cayssarin was aware that her daughter was there, but between her still husband and her furious stare, she hadn't exactly the mental capacity to shout at her to leave. Instead, as Kelaeth took another step toward her, she rushed to her feet, only in time for Kyra to have dashed over and tackled her brother to the ground.

Cayssarin desperately watched the ensuing struggle, but after just a few moments, a burst of flames explode around Kelaeth's body, blowing Kyra back and into the ground, her body quickly returning to its feet.

Kelaeth got up himself and walked calmly toward Kyra, shaking his head. Through gritted teeth, she held her sword up, only faintly catching the traces of moonlight swiling around its metal in her peripheral vision as her eyes sat angrily on her brother.

With a slap of ozone, a whip of flame shot through the air toward Kyra, who skillfully held her sword up to snap the elemental strip around it as she ran toward her brother, silent in focus. With his other hand, and a slight frown, Kelaeth shot a burst of flame into the ground, smashing into the ground. Jumping atop of the ball of energy, Kyra thrust herself I to the air, slamming her sword into the ground as Kelaeth just barely backed away.

His spells now extinguished, Kelaeth ran a finger down his cloak, a strip of fabric having been cut by his sister's blade. He clenched his teeth as Kyra held her sword up, prepared to defend herself. In a sudden dash, Kelaeth snapped behind Kyra, her eyes shooting open in shock, but as she spun around, he'd already brought an elbow recklessly into her side, knocking her off balance, before throwing his arm up, a ball of fire blowing into her face, knocking her down to the ground.

With a twisted, nearly maniacal smirk, he walked along, following her, snapping fireballs at her as she tried to stand back up, forcing Kyra to desperately crawl backward farther and farther. Her sword had been lost in the last crack of flame to her face, and caught between his sadistic toying of her and her lack of a weapon, she could only helplessly retreat, albeit unceremoniously.

She came to a stop, having run into a solid object, and she stared angrily up at her brother, who returned the gesture, though his eyes were far more sinister.

"Demons belong in hell," he seethed, as though explaining himself.

Kyra breathed deep, "Away from the moonlight too, huh?"

She gave a swift and powerful kick behind her, knocking loose one of the moorings that held that smoky cauldron on its platform, causing the wood underneath it to creak loudly until the unmistakable crashing of torn wood ripped through the air. Kyra jumped out of the way, but Kelaeth did the opposite, rushing up to try and hold the large clay vessal in place, but its own weight pulled it down onto the earth, rolling violently until it reached the edge of the cleft, toppling over and down. Down into nothingness; an ear-shattering crash being the last thing it offered to the sky.

Kelaeth angrily spun back around toward Kyra, who'd recovered her sword, and he strode toward her rather quickly, the last bit of smoke rising into the sky. Kyra held her sword up, but in a fit of pure rage, Kelaeth tore a spark of the hottest flame through the atmosphere, whipping the sword out of her arm, violently. He made it to her and violently brought his fist through her face, her body collapsing to the ground.

He leaned down, his eyes almost pouring out his anger, and grasped a handful of her hair, lifting her up as their mother's cries suddenly broke into their conciousnesses. Kelaeth's eyes suddenly took on a look of shock upon seeing the grin on Kyra's face.

"Everybody's afraid of something."

Suddenly, in his peripheral vision, Kelaeth saw movement. His head jerked sideways, his firy eyes now locked onto a newcomer. A human. He threw Kyra to the ground and approached Colin, checking to see how much smoke was left in the sky.

"You're so dead," Colin spoke up, his face a dark hole of fury.

He snapped his fingers, revealing a rather miniscule spark of flame, leaving Kelaeth with an amused chuckle, "You do realize you're a child playing war with a man, correct? And you come the aid of the Shadowmoon family? I truly gave them too much credit."

Colin huffed heated air, though he was unaware that Kelaeth was working against time here. Wholly unprepared for such a quick assault, Colin only caught the faintest of glimpses of Kelaeth once he rushed behind him, kicking him in the back of the knee and throwing him to the ground with a laugh.

He looked back up at the smoke, evaporating gradually, leaving more and more of the sky above them clear. As he looked down, he was greeted with a heavy fist, knocking him back, and almost off his feet. He grasped his nose, staring at Colin, who whipped out his sword, unshakingly.

Now annoyed, Kelaeth simply threw out a whip of fire, twisting around Colin's leg and pulling it out from under him and toward him. At the last second, Colin whipped his sword around, but Kelaeth easily grabbed it out of the air, pulling it and Colin up toward him in one swoop.

"I'll make you watch these demons being sent to hell," he breathed evilly, wrapping a hand quickly at the back of Colin's head and pulling it down, right to his knee which he'd thrown up, knocking Colin back and onto the ground.

Kelaeth turned and began trudging toward Kyra, who was still in a slight daze and trying to recover. She had managed to reclaim her sword, but Kelaeth stomped down onto it, holding it into the dirt.

"You really were worth nothing," he muttered coldly.

He looked down, his eyes suddenly opening wide as he watching Kyra's sword gradually grow brighter in the moon's light. Kelaeth's body shot around in shock, staring up at the moon, now fully in view as the smoke had all evaporated away. His eyes then fell lower, to Colin, who'd taken back to his feet, staring back at him.

His cheek now bore the handprint of a priestess, and closed mightier than even the moonstone within Kyra's sword. The light upon his cheek grew to such radiance that it couldn't even be withstood by its own magic, leaving droplets of pure moonlight dripping down Colin's cheek and onto the ground.

Kelaeth, with a face of brutal urgency, walked hastily back toward Colin, whose breaths had grown ragged from the heat and exhaustion. Kyra clutched a handful of dirt, her body unwilling to cooperate. Her eyes teared up as she looked back over at the man she loved.

"If ever there was a time, Elune…" Colin muttered to himself quietly.

Unknowingly, he reached up to his cheek, holding his hand across the same handprint, scratching at his skin, down until his hand pulled away, surrounding itself by the silvery moonlight that still spilled off from his cheek. His eyes met with Kelaeth's, whose eyes seemed to be pouring as well, though with green flames.

In as furious leap toward his opponent, Kelaeth let loose with a bestial growl, throwing an enflamed fist at Colin, who just barely managed to dodge past him, the drops of moonlight staining the ground as he went. Kelaeth spun around angrily, his eyes bursting with evil.

Another fist broke through the air at Colin, but this time, he crouched underneath the blow, his head shooting up to watch his hand fly up into the air. Almost in slow motion, Kelaeth's face melted into a look of sheer terror, unable to readjust his moment. With a loud thud, Colin's moonlit hand came hard against his face.

"AAAAAAUGH!" Kelaeth shouted endlessly, his arms raising to either side of him.

Colin grunted heavily as Kelaeth grasped his hand with his own two, desperately attempting to pull it away in a maddening scramble, all the while his screams broke the air around both of them. Colin had a solid grasp on the man's face, and as Kelaeth fell backwards in his blindness, Colin followed suit, twisting his hand uncomfortably, but his grasp remained.

Kelaeth was blinded by the moonlight, almost to the point where the beams of light could very well have entered into his eyes, surrounding his mind, swirling violently into his psyche. The invasion left him to continue screaming, violently, desperately scratching at Colin's hand, kicking his legs, anything to stop the light from blowing into his soul.

Eventually, Kelaeth's upper body rose up, with Colin's hand following along, though in a split second, his body shot back into the ground, leaving Colin's hand in its speed. His screams had stopped, leaving him still on the ground. Colin fell back onto the ground, watching the fading moonlight latched onto Kelaeth's face, Colin's eyes wide in shock at what had just happened. He lifted his hand up, watching the moonlight begin to fade their too, though his cheek was still dripping with moonlight, and he reached up to examine it slowly.

Suddenly, like a shot to the chest, the low cries of anguish hit his ear, turning to see Cayssarin draped over the body of her husband. Kyra had crawled over and, in an attempt to console her mother, had tried pulling her toward her to hold her, but she refused to leave the man.

Colin pulled his hand away from his cheek, his eyes almost watering themselves from the sight. He managed to rise to his feet and trudged slowly toward the two, his moonlit hand nearly burning him with every step. As he got closer, Kyra's head peered up toward him, her eyes a pale shade of white from all of the emotion she was enduring at the sight of her father's still body.

Calmly, Colin knelt down and held Kyra's shoulder, her head sadly resting upon his hand to comfort herself. Slowly, however, his other hand reached over toward Cayssarin, whose head slowly turned to see whose movement was approaching. At the sight of the moonlight, she jumped back in surprise, her eyes now too wide for tears.

"W-What…" she spoke hesitantly, her speech unable to form in her mind, much less her tongue.

Kyra watched in shock as well; the two of them having been too far away to have seen what exactly had been dripping from Colin's body. Kyra fought the urge to back away, instead holding her hand above Colin's at her shoulder.

He leaned his head down to notice that his cheek remained something of a waterfall, and his hand remained just the same. He curiously watched the drops fall lightly onto Eldris, falling into dark patches, almost like water, before evaporating soon after.

He breathed deeply. Was his job not finished?

Colin turned to Kyra, now her eyes focused intently on his opposite hand, attempting to understand what was going on, but Colin broke her stare as his hand lifted from her shoulder to her own cheek.

"I've done so much for the wrong people," he repeated, solemnly, Kyra's eyes peering deep into his.

They looked so beautiful, she thought again. So full of detail, and they had reflections to them. Her eyes watched her own self, reflected in front of swirling moonlight, and behind it all, the distant stare of the man she loved.

His hand rested gently onto Eldris' chest, and although he had an idea of what was to come, Colin couldn't help but allow a few tears to build up at his eyes as he watched Kyra, "I told you to imagine what I'd do for the right people."

As though knowing what to do, Colin's hand pushed deep against Eldris' chest before violently shooting up his sternum and over his head. As he did, a trail of moonlight, like a comet's tail, swirled behind his hand, and as soon as it had cleared over atop his head, Eldris' eyes shot open just a tiniest of a second before his torso shot forward, sitting there on the ground, his breath haggard as he touched his face in despair and confusion.

Suddenly, he noticed Cayssarin, who by now was not much more than a quivering ball of emotion. Not a second passed before she jumped over to him, holding him tightly as they fell back onto the ground. Eldris could only stare up at the sky, not entirely sure if this were all true or not.

He had, truly, been dead. He had felt it. Now he only felt a tight embrace, not only from his wife, but from something otherworldly. His eyes met with Colin's face, his cheek finally ceasing its downpour, though Eldris had seen enough to know what had happened.

He reached up, clutching Colin's hand as tears streamed down his face; his voice cracking between hoarseness and lack of air, "Th- Thank you. So, so, so much."

Colin humbly lowered his head to hide a smile, though he did manage to shake the man's hand, "It wasn't me, I assure you."

Eldris shook his head, leaning up to kiss his wife's head, "No, no. Elune gives no tasks that we, ourselves, are not capable. She may had instructed you, but…"

He couldn't finish his words, simply burying his face in his wife's hair. Kyra reached over, almost apprehensively, falling into Colin for a hug. He held her tightly as they both watched her parents; Kyra still unable to fully process what had just happened.

Elune's work, she had surmised.


	23. Chapter 23

Kyra sat, alone, inside one of the few moonwells that remained here and had continued to be maintained. Reflecting on everything that had happened in just the last year or so; she'd left her centuries-old post, fallen in love, defied orders; hell, defied Alexstraza.

She had watched her father die, and then be returned to life.

The ghost-like smoke that arose from the water that surrounded her almost danced into the sky, the same as it always had. Had the environment been different, she might very well have been back on Teldrassil, perhaps in the same moonwell she'd grown up admiring. It was so similar, yet an inch away from that sight was a whole different world.

She had come here to bathe, but her muscles had grown to aching so much that she simply sat down in the waters, her head held back for a time, just watching the stars above. Her father couldn't move after coming to, so she and her mother helped him back to his home, leaving Colin to carry Kelaeth back over his shoulders. Although the others were concerned, Colin assured them that the weight was nothing by then.

Kyra heard footsteps approaching from behind her, followed by the voice of Colin, "Your mother wanted me check on you. She assured me they would both be fine, but she did complain about not having any available beds now."

He dropped his knapsack against the outside of the moonwell, carefully watching Kyra sit there, "Do you need some time alone?"

She remained silent for a moment, but slowly began to shake her head, "I might need to be beside you right now."

Colin nodded as she lifted her arm up to the stone encircling her to lift herself out of the moonwell, but as she did, Colin's legs reached into the pool and he stepped in, sitting next to her in the ghostly water.

She watched him, confused, but he only smirked, "It's fine. I've got friends in high places."

"Very high," Kyra muttered as she relaxed once more, sinking into the pool so she could rest her head back against the rock.

Colin, instead, lowered his head, watching his hands as they waved gently through the light waters that now encased his lower body. It felt like water, but it had none of the resistance, and instead, it seemed to make his movement easier. Entranced by the phenomenon, he nearly missed Kyra speaking.

"I was jealous at first," Kyra admitted, unmoved, "You didn't even acknowledge Elune. You sort of even denounced her. Yet she chose your cheek to rest upon; not mine."

She closed her eyes, "Maybe she did know best. I don't know if I could have done what you did back there."

Colin's hand reached over and held onto her's as he watched her intently, "Kyra, I couldn't have gotten here if not for you. I'd have perished many times if not for you; I'd have given up if not for fighting to see you."

He paused for a moment as his eyes trailed off, "Even before we met. I had so many nights where I could so easily have ended my life if not for the faint thought of meeting the woman who would give me life."

Kyra's head rolled toward him, her eyes meeting his as he continued, "You were my moon before Elune ever was."

Her eyes shut while her hand reached up to cover her tears. Colin leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. He gently ran a hand down her hair as her body jumped intermittently in her exasperation, though she didn't make a sound.

"Sorry," she apologized, calmly, "It's just been a long day."

Colin smiled, "I know. You don't need to say anything."

He continued holding onto her, tightly, "You'll keep on trying to save everyone; I'll be right here to save you "

She released a laugh, shaking her head slightly, "And I had the audacity to promise otherwise. Then again, I had no idea how strong you were back then."

"I didn't do anything."

Kyra went on, "What my father said is true. Elune doesn't ask of someone what they're not already capable of. Or, I guess, in your case, what they're able to handle."

Colin sighed, still not convinced, but he didn't bring up the issue again, simply concluding, "I can't exactly talk poorly about her now, though."

Kyra pushed her head slightly harder against him, affectionately, her eyes closing in relief. She enjoyed his presence so greatly; just having him nearby calmed her and forced her darker thoughts away, replaced by memories of his eyes, his touch, his words. In that dark spot behind her eyelids, she felt Colin's hand reaching back, hearing the rustling of his knapsack, before the silence returned. While enjoying his support, her hair suddenly flickered into her consciousness as Colin's hand ran through her hair, lightly, trucking something in her hair before twisting her locks around to hold it in place.

Curious, she opened her eyes and looked into the water of the moonwell, but finding no reflection, she tried Colin's eyes, though couldn't make it out still. Colin grinned, about to mention her new ornament, but held his tongue as he realized her confusion. He reached down and retrieved a small mirror from his bag, handing it to Kyra and holding on as she took a grip, their eyes locking intently.

"You are so beautiful," Colin confirmed, which only increased Kyra's strength, finally pulling the mirror away.

She held it up and quickly noticed the flower that had appeared atop her head. Her hair had been collected near the top of her head, but strands of hair remained falling to her shoulders, almost cascading down. She studied the foreign bloom, one she hadn't ever seen before, and her hand reached up to study it further. Gradually, her eyes grew wide, her eyes and mirror going opposite ways as she looked up at Colin, returning her stare with a grin of his own.

Her mouth opened gingerly, as though attempting to find words to speak. All that came out was a soft breath, accompanying her almost pleading eyes. Colin leaned toward her and gave her a tender kiss, pulling away; their eyes not breaking the entire time.

"Am I the man of your dreams yet?" he asked, boyishly, which seemed to fit the smirk on his face.

Still unable to find anything resembling speech, Kyra resorted to speaking with her actions, reaching up to connect once again with this man. Her hand reached around his head to ensure her lips remained around his own as her body lifted up and twisted, straddling around his waist. Her hands now came to his cheeks as she rained kisses upon his face, only beginning at his lips. She kissed his chin, his cheeks; his eyes shut lightly as her lips made sure to claim them as well.

"Tell me something," Colin muttered quietly, although Kyra's lips were undeterred, continuing to peck at his face, "In all of your fairy tales and bedtime stories. The heroes come together and get married at the end, right?"

Kyra paused, resting her forehead against his, her eyes boring into his like a passionate fire, "Not particularly, no. Night elves don't exactly marry; it's more so just an agreement to become mates for life. Oftentimes, it's just understood between the two."

She eyed his suspiciously, "Why? Are you about to propose?"

Colin chuckled, looking away, "Not particularly, just… On my way up here, I was thinking about "forever". How such a thing is so different for me."

Kyra closed her eyes, kissing ever so gently on the bridge of Colin's nose, "I've already learned that one night with you is worth a lifetime. I won't lie and say it won't be heartbreaking, but I mean, it's never a foreign concept to us. The whole world dies quicker than we do."

"And I'm your whole world," Colin muttered distantly, catching Kyra's stare.

She lowered her head, sadly, before lowering her body onto his, wrapping her arms around him. Given her position, she laid her head atop of his, feeling the heat from his face against her chest. He was so close to her heart, in more ways than one, she thought. He could leave tomorrow, never to return; she knew she couldn't ever love again. Just the idea of him dying; it shook her to the core every time it wiggled into her mind.

Colin didn't have the will to return Kyra's hug. Although lost against the gentle heat of her chest, he couldn't help but be reminded that, more than likely, this was all for naught. He shut his eyes, allowing himself to be enveloped in Kyra, surrounded by all the love in the world he had known. The only comfort he could find now, though, was knowing he wouldn't lose her. Then, immediately, his heart broke knowing that she would lose him.

Still lost in his mind, he felt the water of the moonwell around his hands take on an odd consistency, almost becoming more liquid-like. It was calming; he felt no need to open his eyes and investigate, and in the throes of this sad exchange between the two of them, a third voice emerged, in a whisper.

"Tell…"

It was a voice that seemed to speak to Colin only in the farthest corner of his mind. His eyes opened slowly, peeking up at Kyra, who showed no indication that she'd heard it herself. He closed his eyes again, feeling that liquid around his hands evaporate into the ghostly water. His hands rose up, now, and wrapped around Kyra, gently enough.

"I never told you why I did this," Colin spoke up, hauntingly.

Unmoved, Kyra replied softly, "You couldn't. You said it was for me. You've done plenty."

"I mean, there's more to it than all this," Colin continued, carefully, "There's this…"

He paused. He had been wanting to tell her for so long, and now, given permission to do so, he found it difficult to do so. His mind was caught somewhere between apprehension and fear, but he felt Kyra's grasp around his head tighten subtly, giving him a bit more courage.

He reached up and gently clasped onto her shoulder, pulling her away to that he could look up into her eyes. Her face was surrounded by nothing but starlight, and the bloom in her hair. The Alor'el. His eyes distantly stared into hers, almost losing himself to this women the way he loved so much.

"I was told by The Dreamer herself. If I brought Ascal here, and helped you…" he trailed off, almost shuddering under Kyra's stare, "She would give me immortality."

Expecting a massive reaction, Colin was taken aback when it didn't arrive. Kyra remained much the same, staring at him seriously as though allowing his words to sink in. Colin didn't look away, but at the same time, he felt his nerves grow up and down his spine.

"I just couldn't bear to-"

"Are you serious?"

Colin watched Kyra's face grow softer, lowering her head to hide herself, "You go through all this. You nearly get yourself killed. Colin, I could live my life happily spending the rest of your life by your side, but to so cheaply risk that?!"

He reached up, lifting her head up to watch her eyes tearing up, his thumb gently wiping the starlight from her cheek, which was a bit difficult, as she had begun to quiver slightly. He certainly wasn't expecting this, though he definitely understood her emotions.

He smiled, "I suppose I was doing it for myself. I couldn't bear to imagine leaving you alone for so long. I want to live so many days by your side that I lose track of it all. I don't want to have to count down the days left when it comes to you."

Kyra returned her head to his, her arms clutching around his head, shaking hers slightly against his as she replied lightly, "You're such a fool."

Colin grinned, "I wish I could say you were the first to say that to me. I'd like to think you'd be the last, but…"

His hands gently rested upon her sides, rubbing up her back until they entwined together to squeeze her into a hug once again, "I want to be your last everything."

Kyra's head pulled down against his, their foreheads coming together once more so their eyes could meet, Colin's brightening up from her reflection, "Your last hug. Your last love… Your last kiss. Everything. I can't do that if I'm not there until the end."

Their eyes locked to one another's, Kyra's lips lifted up to Colin's, both of them submitting themselves to darkness once they'd been connected in this way. Colin missed being able to see her beauty, but lost within her lips, he soon began to lose himself in her touch instead. While he was simply attempting to kiss her in return, he could barely keep up with her lips as they pulled together and sucked his own, pulling away only to reorient themselves before another kiss.

She pulled her hands up, wrapping around the back of Colin's head again, doing her best to make sure his lips weren't going anywhere. She had the vague feeling that she might be lost if he were to pull away, so she ensured that such a thing wouldn't happen, although, as Colin's hands reached behind her arms to pull against her shoulders, she could have easily surmised that he didn't want her going anywhere either.

Intermittently, they would pause their passionate kissing, only to take a few heated breaths. Their eyes would meet once again, though with each time this occurred, they both became more and more lustful. Colin's, particularly, grew that particular tint of beastly fire that Kyra could have thought would likely shatter her world in more ways than one.

Kyra's head leaned ahead once again, though Colin pulled his back, grinning devilishly, as Kyra stared him down, frustrated. She might as well have been deprived of oxygen at that point.

"Don't be like that," Kyra breathed.

Colin waited, silently, his smirk remaining as Kyra impatiently watched him, pleading with her eyes. Unable to figure out what he was getting at, she attempted to kiss him again, but once more, he pulled away, frustrating her all the more.

His smirking enough of an indication by now, Kyra brought her hand to his face, against his cheek, speaking weakly, "I need you. So much, right now."

Colin's smirk remained, but he slowly reached up this time to reunite with her lips. Kyra's hands rubbed up his head, running through his hair. The water beneath them sloshed around gently as her body began moving somewhat rhythmically, her nerves inching close and closer to the need for release.

She felt Colin's hands at her waist, rubbing up her body, and taking her shirt along with them. Despite the humid air, her exposed stomach felt a bit of a chill from the water below, extinguished by Colin's hand holding against her skin, almost burning her at this point.

Losing herself more, Kyra's tongue had begun working its way to her own lips, but she had stopped there, apprehensively. An exploratory thrust ahead and she gently licked at Colin's lip as she gently sucked on it, though it seemed to be the only indication he needed. With his other hand, he held the back of her head as well, but his tongue suddenly reached into her mouth, catching her off guard.

She was suddenly taken back to that night in Theramore, and appropriately enough, her tongue began dancing around his, caressing its edges, running along its width. Even if it was a substitute for other such acts, Kyra had so longed for Colin that she lost herself in the act, the two forced to breathe through their noses, as their mouths weren't going anywhere any time soon.

Completely lost in his lips and tongue, Kyra couldn't even feel his other hand running down her stomach until, finally, with a shock that coursed through her entire body, she squeaked and squirmed, breaking away from his lips. She stared down at him, only receiving a smile.

"Should we even be doing this here?" he asked.

Still red in the face from their activities, Kyra breathed heavily as she watched him, almost as though unable to come up with a reply quick enough. She could feel his hand, wrapped between her legs by her underwear, the simply thought of it causing her to cave to the pleasure.

She innocently shook her head, just barely, replying almost frantically, "No- No, I need you too bad now."

Kyra lowered herself back onto him, her shallow breathing indicative of her quickening heartbeat, "I don't think I could manage witho-AH!"

She cringed against his body, the water of the well suddenly washing onto its walls. His finger had worked its way into her, ever so gently, the sensation causing her to convulse. Upon realizing what had happened, she looked up, longingly, into Colin's eyes. He gave her a quick kiss before continuing his movements, leaving Kyra with the improbable task of holding herself up despite the pleasure.

His fingers slithered up and down her, working along with the convulsions that seemed to follow them, as though in rhythm. He could feel every clench her body made, and he could feel her warm breath on his face. Suddenly, she reached back around Colin's head, her arms wrapped once again around him, holding on for the impending explosion of pleasure she new was fast approaching. Coming face-to-chest with his lover, Colin began to kiss at whatever parts of her breasts were exposed from her loose shirt, sucking on the soft tissue that surrounded those supple mounds.

Her breaths had become more and more ragged, but suddenly stopped. She had gone silent, though Colin could feel every muscle in her body tighten, especially within her. His fingers didn't stop, though, as they pushed through tighter and tighter ridges, the more and more he wanted to press on.

Suddenly, Kyra's lips opened in a silent exhalation of breath, before, finally, a gasp awoke from her; a pleasured, wholly alluring sound, almost like music to Colin's ears. His fingers slowed as she reached her climax, and once her body had fallen in rest onto his, her haggard breathing returning, his fingers worked their way out from her. Kyra's face was met with Colin's hair, while his face met with her chest. He could feel her heart working a mile a minute, though he was sure his own heart was working just the same, even without stimulation.

"I love how you make me feel," Kyra spoke up through light breaths.

She stood up before Colin could do anything, grasping around the hem of her shirt and pulling it up and over her head, slowly, teasingly so. Colin watched in subtle awe, realizing that the previous times they had done this, they had been in less than ideal lighting. He had been aware of just how gorgeous she was, but between the entire sky of stars, the moon, all of their light reflecting onto the moonwell, it almost seemed as though Kyra were giving him a show.

His eyes grew dependent on viewing her delicate skin; quite an irony considering her profession. She wore armor to stay alive, but the playful thought that she had done so, as well, to keep her skin this pleasing to him ran through his mind. Even as she removed the rest of her clothing, Colin nearly missed it, he was so lost in her skin that went on and on. He wanted so badly to massage it, kiss it, poke it and watch it slink back into place.

Kyra stood there above him in all her bareness. She had been this way on many occasions; it was almost a common state of dress in some circles. But under Colin's gaze, she became so much more aware of her being nude. She became nervous, which was only quelled by a smile on Colin's face.

She knelt down, once again straddling his waist, their lips coming together once again, enjoying each other. Her hands made their way down his body, rather quickly, pushing against the hem of his pants just enough for her crotch to be greeted with quite the foreign object. She pulled away from his lips and the two watched each other, lustfully.

"If you're living as long as I am, we really should pace ourselves," Kyra spoke through heated, heavy breaths, "There's a reason we don't do this as often as mortals."

Colin stared at her, but his eyes bolted for a split second down at her body, causing a cocky grin to show up Kyra's face as he replied, "No. No; I think I can make this work. You seriously expect me to look at you every day and not want this?"

Kyra nuzzled her face into his neck, "I suppose we could live like mortals."

"Every night?" Colin asked, quietly.

"Every night."

She smirked as she reached down to orient him, but he reached down to grasp at her wrist, stopping her, "I have a better idea."

He lifted her slightly and pulled her body around enough until she knew where he was going with this. She swapped her legs and knelt back down along his knees, her backside falling back until she was resting astride his waist. Colin nearly felt his jaw drop at the sight; as amazing as she appeared from the front, her backside simply caught every inch of his attention.

He gently pushed a finger at the bottom of her neck, and brought it down ever so slightly down the groove that followed her spine, her body shuddering at his movement as he went. The way her back curved so elegantly, so beautifully, before wrapping down and around her bottom. Colin couldn't believe the sight he was witnessing.

Now impatient, Kyra lifted herself once more, reaching down and finally finding that explosion of pleasure she'd been seeking. He ran into her, with every inch like another pulsation of nerves and convulsion. Colin held his breath until the two were fully connected, his hot breath releasing onto the back of her neck, causing her to wiggle a bit as a chill ran down her spine.

Colin's hands reached up to grasp either side of her hips, gently caressing her skin as she acclimated and, quite frankly, nearly fell back into him from the new sensation. His hands wrapped around to her stomach, joining at her midsection and moving simultaneously to the space between her breasts. Her breaths grew more and more uneven at every inch of his touch, her mind becoming hazier and hazier.

Suddenly, Colin pulled her back, causing her to jump back into reality in surprise. She stopped at his chest, his arms wrapping around her as though they were cuddled together. She turned her head to see him, finding his face to be almost beet red from the pleasure. She grinned at the sight, though his mind was wholly on maintaining control and he simply stared on ahead.

A kiss broke him from his spell, and Kyra's arms reached up and over her head, grasping onto the back of Colin's head. They were sharing everything by now. With every time she pulled away from his lips, Kyra drew more and more breath from him, Colin becoming redder from less and less oxygen. Unable to stop her kiss that he loved so much, his waist quickly jolted upward.

"AH!" Kyra shouted, her arms suddenly bolting down to her sides, clasping tightly onto either side of Colin's torso, her nails digging into his skin as she desperately attempted to hang on. Colin continued thrusting, causing softer and softer whimpers to escape her lips. Her head rested back onto his shoulder, her eyes stuck between tightened eyelids, staring up into the stars as her body broke freer and freer from her mind.

Her hands released their massive grip as she began to realize how broad Colin's torso was. As his arms tightened around her, her arms simply fell lazily into the water below as every breath of hers grew shallower and yet more strained with lust. Every thrust of his was like a piston, forcing shockwaves through her, the sensation unlike the last time they'd done this. The ridges within her tightened around him, almost desperate to keep him from leaving her insides, yet with every exit, it only elicited another explosion of nerves and chemicals.

As Colin grew closer and closer to his own explosion, he was desperate to hold on. In his wild attempt at control, his teeth clenched, but not before a grunt escaped his throat; such a primal and heated thing to do. Kyra's ears perked at the bestial vocalization and her insides further tighten as her blood ran faster.

Colin leaned his head into her shoulder, focusing on the heat of her skin, or the way she smelled; anything to escape the pleasure he felt along his penis, trying desperately to hang on. His hot breath echoed around the small of her neck, hitting himself in the face, but as she clenched once again from the pleasure, the sudden shock of it forced Colin into another, louder burst of beastly grunts with every thrust.

Kyra reached up again to grasp his sides as her orgasm ripped through her nerves, down her muscles, nearly bursting from her skin it felt like. Her nails tore toward her palms at Colin's sides as her head pushed back into Colin's shoulder, her own primal grunts escaping into the humid air.

That happened to be Colin's limit as well, his arms pulling her waist as deep as he could into him as his length flew to her deepest nethers, bursting into her like an explosion. His face pushed intently into her shoulder, trying to brace himself for the few waves of pleasure he knew he'd have to endure.

While his ended, he laid there breathing heavily as Kyra's orgasm continued coursing through her body. Colin painfully thrust himself back into her, her voice ringing out into the night air, almost desperately, her mind reeling farther and farther into that pleasurable oblivion that was not of this world. Finally at his limit, Colin had to pause, allowing Kyra to fall back onto his chest, her head hanging down, draped just over his shoulder.

Colin exhaustively lifted his head to watch her chest rise and fall, her breasts lovely in their movements. His hands reached up to grasp at them, gently massaging them, his thumbs managing to circle her nipples.

She shook her head slowly, "S-S-… I ca- can't…"

Colin smiled, in his own heavy exhaustion, simply letting his arms fall to his side as their chests did their best to respirate, though Colin found it a bit difficult with a body atop his chest. It was such a lovely weight, he thought; a soft, elastic weight that he didn't want off of him. As he focused on his breathing, he felt Kyra's lips kissing his cheek, causing him to turn his head as well to return the favor.

Lost in their still-heavy breaths, Colin watched deeply into her eyes, lovingly, "We're going to get married."

Kyra watched him blankly, probably still a bit out of it, as he went on, "You're going to have our children."

"We're going to be together," he proclaimed, "Forever."

Still almost disillusioned, Kyra managed to reach over and give him a peck on the lips. His eyes had that distance she had grown to notice and love. But before, they only looked ahead so many years. Now, she could see, they looked off into millennia.

"I love you Kyra," he confirmed.

She was unable to reply verbally, but her eyes peered deeper into his eyes, blinking slowly in contentment. Between their love making and this exhaustion, he found it to be a rather lovely way of reciprocating the thought.


	24. Chapter 24

Their arms couldn't be held any tighter by the other as the two of them walked up the slight incline of the mountain, back toward the small house that a man had built, one who'd once died. Twisted together as they walked side to side, their arms brought them close enough for Kyra to rest her head on Colin's shoulder as they walked. He tried leaning his head onto hers as well, but seeing as how hed been tasked with dire ting the two for the most part, he found it difficult to do, though he managed it, barely avoiding a stumble up the slope.

"So what now?" Kyra asked, curiously, "I mean, you've completed your task, right?"

Colin nodded, "I mean, as far as I know. I mean, your parents might need help getting back home. I'm sure you're a bit homesick yourself, and even I miss your home's amethyst boughs."

Kyra shrugged as much as she could in her entanglement, "I'm not exactly homesick, but it'd be nice to return again."

"Plus, we sort of have a three hundred pound, fugitive elf to take care of," Colin noted, glibly, "I suppose until he wakes up, we cant do much extensive traveling."

Kyra nuzzled her head into his arm, softly, "We have plenty of time."

With a slow nod, Colin leaned down to kiss her scalp, looking up in time to notice Kyra's father in front of his house, sitting outside as if waiting for them. As they approached, Colin gently tried pulling away to avoid embarrassment, though Kyra remained firm in her holding him, confusedly staring up at him. Eldris' grin told Colin that it was too late to hide their affection, so he simply released a sigh, though Lyra grinned at his reaction.

"Hey kids," Eldris muttered weakly, raising his hand slowly in a wave.

Kyra knelt at his side to examine him as Colin asked, "How are you feeling?"

He smirked lightly, "As good as a man whose been dead, I suppose. I know my body inside and out; I'll recover. Can't say how long it'll take, though. Poor Cays wouldn't touch me for a bit, my body was so cold."

Kyra wrapped a hand around his waist to investigate, but he chuckled, "I've warmed since then, but it's still there. I wouldn't have expected zero side-effects."

He struggled to lift his arm around his daughter as she bent down to hug him. Colin watched the sight longingly, skillfully avoiding Eldris' eyes as he looked up toward the human with a sincere smile.

"I don't think I properly thanked you," he spoke heartily, only just masking a chuckle, "And, no, you can't blame it on somebody else, even if that somebody else is a deity. Not with me."

Eldris's carefully stood up, though Kyra quickly took to holding his arm, and even Colin took hold of his hand to help pull him, embarrassingly so. The man sighed in relief as he felt the muscles flex throughout his legs, as though his few minutes of death had equated to a significant time of atrophy.

"My wife may have reservations about such things, but you are my daughter's mate," Eldris continued, not without a slight blush from Colin, "And you've done things that I couldn't have done in my darkest hours, much less my brightest."

He grabbed a hold of Colin's shoulder, nodding slightly dramatically, "You love my daughter, which is enough to gain my respect. But outside of that, I mean… You've done greater things than I could ever hope to do myself. And you used that ability for me? Not many people would do anything for an Illidari such as me."

Colin smiled, his head lowered in a brief bashfulness before arising again, his own hand clutching onto Eldris', "You can't know how much I know what you mean."

Eldris chuckled lightly, "Then you know how much I want to do good to make up for my past. I can't pretend to know you, but what I've heard… Your parents would be proud of you."

Colin found it difficult to hold back a tear, but managed to refute his eyes, though Kyra smiled sweetly upon noticing his strained face. The two men stood there silently, looking elsewhere, until Eldris finally shook Colin's shoulder, rather violently for his physical state, and proclaimed loudly.

"Just hug me already, boy!"

"But you're hur-"

Eldris pulled him over and embraced him, though Colin easily felt the man's weight almost as though he were clutching onto him in order not to fall. Colin found it easy, though, to support him, and simply smiled at Kyra over his shoulder.

"Whether my wife approves or not, I don't particularly care. You're our son, now," Eldris confirmed, choking up, "Had I known these last few centuries would have granted me another son, while reclaiming my other, it certainly would have made it a bit more bearable, but-"

He paused, almost as though to make room for some tears, "But that's neither here nor there. Our door is always open to you, Colin. I know Kyra can be headstrong, but she's a great woman. She knows how to survive."

Kyra stared at Colin sarcastically, forcing him to grin just before Eldris pulled away, signing in relief as he wiped away his tears, shaking his head, "Well I certainly didn't expect that to happen."

Helping him take a seat, Kyra nodded slowly, "Well, it's only appropriate, I guess, that this journey would end in such a fashion."

Colin chuckled, "Tears and laughter. Certainly beats a few alternatives."

Kyra nodded, slowly, putting her father's shoulder. He reached up to hold his hand atop of hers, only to turn around further at the sound of the door clicking open. It swung open, creaking as it went, leading to Cayssarin as she took a step over the threshold and onto the sandy earth.

She stood there, among the silence of the others as they all simply watched her in varying degrees of confusion. Colin watched her downturned, stony face as her stare bore into the ground. He couldn't tell what she was feeling, though it mattered little, as she reached out and wrapped her arms around him, embracing him while burying her face into his shoulder.

Now highly confused, Colin looked around as his arms levitated into the air, not sure where to put them. He finally settled with placing them on the top of Cayssarin's back, putting her for reasons unexplainable.

"Uh, I don't -" he muttered as he gently pulled away, but Cayssarin's embrace was true.

She reached up, rather quickly, and pulled his head back against the top of hers, forcefully preventing him from seeing her face. Although very confused, Colin saw it for the incredibly rare act it was, seeing plenty of Kyra in her own behavior, at least at first.

He was ported back to that time thlo that day, many moons ago, after their adventures in Ban'ethil. She'd been reproached, and in her sadness, had forced herself into Colin's arm, or at least, that's how he chose to remember it, anyway. She might have said he was the one to initiate such things.

In any case, Colin still found himself in the embrace of Cayssarin, still clutching the back of his head. Eldris struggled to his feet and reached over to rub her back.

"Thank you," was all she could manage, quickly, so as to not run the risk of choking up her words.

Colin smiled softly, "It- You're welcome."

"C'mon, Cays," Eldris spoke up with a light voice, "You're scaring the poor boy."

"No, it's fine, real-"

"I'm sorry," Cayssarin interrupted, her head hiding in its sinking motion as she turned to hide it in Eldris' chest as he held her, "I'm not at all like this, usually."

Her husband grinned, nodding, "I've only seen her shed a tear once before."

He leaned his head down a bit before going on, "This makes two."

Cayssarin gave him a swift punch to the side, though it only forced him to laugh aloud. Colin turned to Kyra, who was also watching the scene amusedly. More so than the others, Colin enjoyed the little scene; the days before this were so icy, contrasting so deeply with the humid air and periodic flows of lava upon this mountain. Now, however, it seemed so warm and jovial. Familial. Even with Kyra, their moments together were warm, but more scorchingly so. This was a small, comforting sort of flame.

"So what will you two do now?" Eldris asked innocently, though it was a question Colin and Kyra hadn't even asked themselves.

Colin looked back toward Kyra, who looked back, their faces blank with uncertainty. Soon enough, though, Kyra smiled as she turned back to her father, her face serving to warm Colin's as well.

"No idea," she shrugged, "But whatever it is, I have my mate with me."

Eldris grinned, nodding toward Colin, listening to Kyra as she went on, questioningly, "What did you two do first?"

He chuckled, "I had to tear myself from the hold of a demonic god, basically, and your mother spent many long nights trying to cut to tattoos out of my skin. I think you two will have an easier time of it though."

The younger couple was not amused.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Colin stood at the table, going through his knapsack, getting ready to leave. Every few seconds, his eyes would look up at the body that inhabited the bed he had recovered in just a few days ago, almost studying him. He looked completely different without his armor, and even his face seemed less fierce now, though he was asleep.

He packed slowly, hoping to avoid speaking to him, or seeing what Kyra might do if he had woken up. She had been inside, but had ignored her brother every time; Colin knew of the bad blood between them, but given such severity, it certainly was a bit more than "bad" blood.

A notebook emerged from Colin's bag and he opened it, perusing the chicken scratches that lined the pages. He'd gained and parted with so much as of late, his usual habit of tracking these things had been neglected. He sighed, taking a seat, and rubbed a pencil as he went through everything in his head.

His first thought was the necklaces, but he had long since considered them a part of himself and Kyra, so he hadn't kept track of them anyway. Though, he did point out that his had been whittled, no small feat for marble, by Eldris.

He was about to write down something about Kyra giving him a family, but found it quite pretentious, and equated it to the necklaces. He recorded the belt he'd lost somewhere after carrying Ascal, and noted the small ornament that Cayssarin had given the two as a parting gift- a hairclip that was signature of the Shadowleaves. She had enough to give one to each child, a point made clear after Colin insisted it was too grand of a gesture.

His eyes flashed back toward the man that, until just earlier, he had only known with contempt. Not that it was personal; he simply knew that he had tried to kill, apparently, the woman he loved. He had also grown close to Kyra's parents, only to see them brought to their knees by this man. To be sure, Colin's feelings about the man across the room from him were conflicted.

His head bolted up as he heard a quiet voice coming from that body that belonged to the man he knew as Kelaeth. It was weak, almost hoarse, but definitely there. Colin watched him carefully; he was alone in here with him, but couldn't help but feel another presence. His eyes slowly began to wander toward Ascal, but shot back as Kelaeth's head slowly turned toward him.

Their eyes met, but in a far cry from before, the night elf's eyes were brighter, and devoid of any fel flame from within them. They seemed so strong in that brightness, as though willed to be that way.

"I saw you," Kelaeth whispered, managing to avoid the stinging of his throat, "In that moonlight."

Colin watched him skeptically, more curious than anything, his voice nearly croaking as he attempted to speak as quietly, "And?"

Kelaeth cocked a grin, almost scoffing as he lightly chuckled, "You were king of the Ramkahen, dancing circles around their piles of gold."

Colin stared, unamused, before pulling his knapsack over his shoulder and turning to leave, "Yeah, have a good one."

The man's broke through to him again, "Hey kid."

Stopping and sighing to himself, Colin couldn't help but turn back and groan, "What?"

"Elune is not the deity of humanity. You'd be wise to remember that," Kelaeth spoke, almost venomously, Colin thought.

"Is that a threat?"

"It's something to cherish," Kelaeth concluded, turning his head back up toward the ceiling.

Colin watched him longer than was polite, and turned back toward the door, reaching out to the knob only to find himself hastily dodging the door swinging in violently toward him, with Kyra rushing in. She nearly ran into him in shock, but quickly smiled and jumped into him anyway, hugging him quickly before walking deeper into the house.

"Getting ready?" she asked happily, though the look on Colin's face caught her off guard.

Even more off-putting was the voice that flew into her ears from behind her, "Sister."

She froze up for only a brief moment, her mind nearly going numb, then walked back toward the door. Colin closed his eyes, hating himself for what he was about to do. He knew that he had no right to meddle with this family, and, in fact, had no real acceptable reason to bother with any family's matters. He wasn't sure if it was truly to help Kyra, or if he wasn't just, again, acting selfishly. Regardless, he acted.

As Kyra approached to walk past him, he took a step in front of her, gently holding the tops of her arms. She shot a glance up at him, not in defiance, but in a sort of angry, confused daze. Colin responded with something of an apologetic sigh, closing his eyes.

"You can't just leave it like this," he muttered, gently, "If he didn't deserve a second chance before, in lieu of what's gone on, I think he deserves one now."

He couldn't explain why he was, more or less, coming to the defense of that man who had just insulted him, who had intended for his lover to die, twice. That man who had torn an entire family apart in more ways than one. But he had seen those eyes; eyes so pure of light.

Kyra stubbornly lowered her head, angrily tensing her arms, so much so that Colin feared she may punch him to get out, but he simply patted her arm where his hand had clutched, "Such things can't be difficult for a Silverwing."

She didn't respond, but as though it were a subtle drop of her status, Kelaeth chuckled in the background, "Heh, Silverwing? Never would have pegged you for such a high post."

In a second, Kyra had spun around, breaking freee from Colin's grip, as she snarled back at her brother, "And I never pegged you for evil incarnate! How about that one!"

The room grew still and quiet, only broken buly Kelaeth's sudden, out of place chuckling, "Relax, relax; I'm just teasing, c'mon. I know Nyl was too serious to ever partake, but surely you can handle a little joshing."

In no mood for light conversation, Kyra didn't speak, but she didn't move either. Her fury had risen as high as her face, forcing tears to well up at her eyes. She didn't know how to respond to this situation, but she knew she would have greatly preferred to have postponed it, infinitely so.

Colin crossed his arms as he viewed the rather tense scene, but Kelaeth was determined, he thought, as the man spoke up again, "I was afraid. More than any younger sibling should ever expect from their big brother. It wasn't just some nightmares; I would go into the waters of lakes and be choked by these fears. I would walk the roads alone and see dead soldiers reaching out to bind and kill me."

Kyra had slowly begun to turn toward her brother, her eyes carefully studying his face, which had grown tremendously soft by now, "And then you came along. All of my other siblings, I could train and teach, and make sure that they could protect themselves from this evil I saw. But with you…"

He paused, shaking his head, "If there are words to describe how sorry I am for the way I treated you, then I don't know them. I couldn't bear to risk growing attached to you, only to watch you suffer and die. By the time you were older, I realized you were growing so strong, but by then, I was too far gone; it seems my interest in helping you ended with me inadvertently …you know."

He grew quiet, but after a few moments of tension, Kyra spoke up with a sigh, "Well, I mean, it did make me stronger, though I still disagree with your methods."

Kelaeth nodded sorrowfully, "I began seeing Sargeras everywhere, and no matter what I did, I could feel that fear, welling up within me. When Fandral promised me unimaginable power… I suddenly thought that, if I were to be unable to protect the ones I love, perhaps my surest bet could be to protect my own self."

He covered his face with his hand, shaking it back and forth as he smiled through the tears, "And all I did was hurt you all."

Kyra remained still, but soon gained the ability to walk toward her brother, rolling her eyes as she dropped a handkerchief onto him, "Come on. You don't look the part at all."

Kelaeth brought his hand down, looking up at Kyra, who saw into his eyes finally, but without much of a reaction as she went on, "See this as an act of solidarity for a fellow kaldorei. Maybe Colin is right, and you deserve a second chance, but be that as it may, you have a lot of earning to do, at least when it comes to me."

Kelaeth watched her as she turned back toward the table, pulling over her own rucksack as her brother mused quietly to himself. Kyra strapped the bag around her shoulder and walked to the door, making her way out, leaving Colin there. Not knowing what to say, he simply began following behind, but was met with some parting words from the former druid of flame.

"Protect her," Kelaeth muttered, "Like I never could."

\----------------------------------------------------------

"We're not going anywhere any time soon," Eldris assured as he and his wife saw Colin and Kyra out, "Just go on and find a home, wherever; you can come get the body later."

Cayssarin elbowed his stomach, swiftly, forcing him to return to speaking, "Sorry. Ascal."

Kyra rolled her eyes at her father's faux pas, shaking her head, "Well, we'll be a postbox away if you two decide to head on out. or three."

Cayssarin nodded as she reached out to pat her daughter's cheek, "Will do. And you two, just remember, you can always count on help, should you need it."

"We're family," she confirmed, before turning toward Colin, "And it includes you too, dear."

Colin grinned, swiftly lowering his head in embarrassment. He remained that way but for a second before taking a step ahead and leaning over to hug the two of them, who both reciprocated, though Eldris couldn't do much more than hold an arm around him.

"Thank you," Colin spoke softly.

Eldris shot out, "Just be sure to keep our daughter in check. She has a tendency to stubbornly run off to do what's right."

Smiling, Colin nodded, "Oh, I know. I love that about her, though."

He held the two of them a bit tighter before going on, "I'm make sure she always has arms to support her."

Eldris patted him on the back, "Good man."

Colin pulled away and joined back up with Kyra, who had already turned to leave. He adjusted his knapsack and followed along beside her, their steps now seeming to be so light compared to those that brought them here.

"So?" Colin spoke up as they made further and further tracks, "You're not going to wave goodbye or anything?"

Kyra grinned, "Vylira isn't the only one who knows how to make an exit."

Colin smiled at the thought; he'd done much the same at the bottom of this mountain. They went on for quite a few more paces before Kyra, in a flurry, spun around, lifting her hand into the sky, her face freezing at the sight she'd been greeted by.

Kelaeth was standing, barely, outside the small hovel, his own arm lifted to send them off. Kyra's eyes met his in the distance, though she didn't lower her arm. Instead, she waved along, albeit slowly, as though unsure of what she was doing. She did come to a close, however, and turned back toward the sloping path.

"Elves don't usually feel that need to send others off," she muttered, quietly, "You seem to rubbing off on me in more ways than one."

Colin grinned boyishly as he reached out to grasp her hand, "You say that as though it's a bad thing."

She smirked back, "I've come to love some things. I never wanted to live my life so slowly or monotonously, but you seem to charge through life so quickly; it's quite exciting."

"I mean, I was looking for something," Colin explained, "Something important that was worth scouring the world for."

Kyra's eyes reached to the edge of her face, peering toward Colin as he finished, "I've known it was you for a while now, but still. I'd like to build a home with you. Start a life with you; spend nights under the stars with you. Then see how bright the world is when I have you by my side."

"You need to see Kalimdor anyway," Colin grinned toward her.

She replied lightly, "And I get to see it through your eyes."

Colin nodded as his hand held tighter around her own. He had never felt anything quite so warm, or comforting. This person had given him so much, that he couldn't help but want to give her the world he had come to know in his search for her.

"We only have until we get old," Colin pointed out, glibly.

Kyra could barely hide a smile behind those bright eyes.


	25. Epilogue

Ascal's eyes opened just slightly, as the sunlight burned what little bit of them had emerged. The first thing he noticed was the bed of hay he was laying in, and his head turned to its side, slowly realizing where he was; a small shack of a building, though the sunlight shining through the open door made it difficult to ascertain much more.

In a split second, his body shot up and his eyes flew open wide, suddenly remembering the last thing he had remembered: Hyjal. He looked around almost in a panic, but paused as he realized how light the turning if his head was for such a long slumber. His eyes blinked as he reached up to stroke his hair, finding it to have been well kept. There were only two men, of course, who could have done such a thing.

He carefully took to his feet and walked with an unsteady gait toward the door, leaning against its frame while his eyes adjusted to the light. He was in a forest, quite a dense one at that. It lacked the magical enchantments of northern Kalimdor's night elf woods, but was still rather peaceful nonetheless. This certainly was not Hyjal, however.

He made his way out, noticing that his shack was a small storehouse, apart from a larger house that sat next to it. His mind churned as he walked toward the front if the building, assuming that this was the home of Colin and, he assumed, Kyra. Their journey must have come to an end, he surmised, but to what end? He could not have been sure.

Reaching the door, Ascal curiously peered at the handle, taking little time deciding to turn it. He entered the dark home, barely sticking his head in through the cracked door, looking around innocently enough.

"Hello?" he asked aloud, loudly, but to no avail.

He cautiously stepped into the home, careful to close the door behind him, before looking around at the decorations that helped this place seem very much at home for any night elf. Ascal immediately recognized the wood upon which the house was constructed as coming from Ashenvale, though it had retained his mystical properties. While covered up with curtains, the windows were large, welcoming of nature itself.

Ascal approached a chest of drawers nearby, examining the décor atop it. He quickly noticed a quick sketch of Colin and Kyra in an embrace, though it was far more stylized than just a simple hug. The lines drawn between the two, where they touched, were intentionally left vague, implying how they were one, Ascal figured.

He then came across a note, which he picked up with interest, hardly considering any sort of privacy, which the note's first line accurately predicted.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
l Ascal, l  
l l  
l If you're still oblivious to most social behaviors, then I probably am too late to properly welcome you to our home. l  
l We've gone to Teldrassil to help Kyra's family settle back in; and yes, our journey to Hyjal ended as well as it could have- l  
l I'll fill you in once we return. In the meantime, make yourself at home. You won't be found here. l  
l l  
l -Dumerval l  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ascal read the note a second time before looking up to examine the home again, which, apparently, had been given to him to look after for a time. He made sure to return to the note, taking care to read the post script.

-P.S. Thanks for making dreams come true.-

He carefully studied that final line, confused by it, though not for long. As though directed to do so, he turned and noticed a small case sitting upon a table, an Alor'el, the lovers leaf, sat within it, fully in bloom. Ascal had never seen such a thing, and he examined it curiously, reaching out a hand to feel its texture, but jumped with a shock as he saw his hand.

His eyes bolted open as he noticed his skin having taken a light blue translucence, as he was looking at the floor as much as he was his arm. Starlight seemed to accentuate the various movements of his joints, and he even noticed that smallest bits of stars flowing around him.

He desperately turned, searching for anything to give him a reflection, quickly noticing a mirror to run to. He peered listlessly into his own eyes, finding nothing but that blue light, though just able to notice his usual features. He lifted his hand to touch himself, finding himself to still be solid, even if he resembled more of a ghost than a man.

Ascal fell backward, into a nearby chair, clutching his head as a headache began to grow within him, though it wasn't usual. A pressure surrounded him, as though the very air itself was pushing deep against his head. He grew dizzy, as though his mind was caught in a spot between where he was physically and some space within the cosmos.

As a panic began to sink in, he closed his eyes, trying to focus on where he could possibly be; if it was, truly, not in two places at once. However, he only saw himself, floating in space, just as ghostly as he'd seen in that mirror.

He opened his eyes, relieved to find himself, again, in this home, though his headache remained. His body leaned back into the chair, his hands rubbing up and down his face, trying to do anything to fi d some comfort. He found, however, something rather different.

In this misery, the voice of Ysera broke through into his mind, a monotonous tone to it, "In my corruption, I had little option but to send your spirit where none could find it. It seems you've picked up where your druidic training had ceased due to not having a master."

Ascal stared up at the ceiling, as though she had inhabited it, his voice shaking from his previous panic, "W- What am I?"

"You've spent many, many moons among the stars," Ysera explained, "It was upon that astral plane that you inherited these properties."

She paused, as though for dramatic effect, even if she had zero reason to, "I have been torn from my physical body; the body to whom you've pledged allegiance. Here, now, you have every opportunity to walk your own path."

"Or," she muttered, cryptically, "You can pledge yourself to your lady, and do my wonders."

Ascal lowered his head to look at his hand once again, watching a tiny star circling around his palm. It so playfully moved in sync with the various bits of starlight that ran through his body; his being seemed more so like a small galaxy itself than anything else.

He looked up to see Ysera standing across from him, watching curiously, as though seeing such a body for the first time herself, "There is only you, milady."

Ysera stared deeply into his eyes, taking a step toward him, "You would do what you could only dream of?"

At that, Ascal paused, knowing full well what he had dreamed of. He had dreamed that dream many nights, and many days, only to come up empty. It was a foolish dream anyway, he knew, yet still, he clung to it. Even now, staring back into the eyes of the being he had adored his entire life, he knew his own dreams were nothing compared to the one who conjured the Dream.

He lowered his head, which Ysera noticed. She reached out, grasping ahold of his cheek and lifting his head back up, allowing him to see her face, which had contorted into something of a concerned look.

"I know what it is you dream," she muttered, hesitatingly, causing Ascal whatever equivalent of a blush he could have right now.

Ysera's eyes peered away before returning to his, her voice emerging as gravely as it had been earlier, "Would you do my wonders?"

"Yes," he spoke, meekly, "There's nothing else."

Ysera nodded, but didn't pull away. Her mi d seemed to have wandered elsewhere, which didn't do much for Ascal's slight embarrassment at their proximity. Finally, her eyes flashed back, though her face grew a shade of sadness.

"I can make many dreams come true," she spoke quietly, "…but not that one."

Ascal shut his eyes, finding himself in a far off galaxy, alone, laying among the stars. He didn't want to be in that world where reality reigned; not now. His shame brought him here, thankfully.

Suddenly, in a burst of light, he felt his lips explode, his eyes shooting open to find Ysera there, kissing him gently for a brief moment in time before she pulled away, her face as stoic as ever, before vanishing into thin air.

Ascal reached up, gingerly touching his lips, still shocked at what had transpired. He could still feel the unmistakable touch of the being he had come to love. And despite her earlier words that some dreams can't ever be realized, a glimmer of some kind of dream being fulfilled warmed his heart.

He was sure, given her own words, he would soon be making his own dreams come true. He had, apparently, already done so for Colin.


End file.
